Rising from the Falls: Iguazu National Park: UNESCO Culture Sector

This spectacular sight lies on the border of Argentina and Brazil. It was simply named "great waters" by the local Indians. It consists of more than 270 cascades and waterfalls, situated on a fault and created by tectonic movements. The natives have named the falls: "Devil’s Throat", "Hidden Throat" and more. There is a legend about the rainbow that crosses over the waterfalls. God told the shaman "I will show the world a marvelous thing". No one believed him and on the night of a full moon, there was a flash of lightning, and suddenly a rainbow appeared. The misty clouds of water endlessly engulf the waterfalls. Spray rises continually, and forms a mist that climbs high into the sky. The water eventually falls onto the surrounding forest. It is this cycle of water that has nurtured diverse species of animals and vegetation in this subtropical jungle.

This is an opossum. It is the only marsupial found outside Australia. The jungle has 2000 species of plants. Great dusky swifts swoop to feed on them, and then vanish into the plummeting waters. They have plunged into the waterfalls. In fact, the swifts nest behind the falls. The curtain of water keeps out predators. A swift has a remarkable capacity of turning its head 180 degrees to keep watch behind. But the law of the jungle punishes any mistake. It took millions of years to make this spectacular scenery and the great cycle of life. All part of a microcosm that rises from the falls."