Heavy El Niño Rain Closes Iguazu Falls Walkways

Iguazu Falls is on the border between Argentina and Brazil, and it is the largest group of waterfalls in the world. Its name means 'big water' in a local language. The falls formed where the river runs over hard rock that came from very old lava. Depending on the water level, there are between 150 and 300 waterfalls.

The amount of water can change a lot. Normally, about 1,746 cubic metres go over the falls every second, but in 2014 the record was 45,700. In 2006, a drought (a long time without rain) cut the flow to only 300. The park around the falls protects a forest full of birds, monkeys and coatis. Most of the river's basin, the land that its water comes from, is in Brazil, so rain there is very important.