Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States' First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt
reportedly exclaimed "Poor Niagara!" (which, at
50 m or 165 feet, are a third shorter). Iguazu is also often compared with
Southern Africa's Victoria
Falls which separates Zambia and Zimbabwe. Iguazu is wider, but because
it is split into about 275 discrete falls and large islands, Victoria is the
largest curtain of water in the world, at over 1,600 m (5,249 ft) wide and over
100 m (328 ft) in height (in low flow Victoria is split into five by islands; in
high flow it can be uninterrupted). The only wider falls are extremely large
rapid-like falls such as the Boyoma Falls.
With the flooding of the Guaíra Falls in 1982, Iguazu currently has
the second-greatest average annual flow of any waterfall in the world, after Niagara, with an average
rate of 1,746 m3/s (61,660 cu ft). Its maximum recorded flow was
12,800 m3/s (452,000 cu ft/s). By comparison,
the average flow of Niagara Falls is 2,400 m3/s (85,000 cu ft), with
a maximum recorded flow of 8,300 m3/s (293,000 cu ft/s). The
average flow at Victoria Falls is 1,088 m3/s (38,420 cu ft/s), with a
maximum recorded flow of 7,100 m3/s (250,000 cu ft/s).
Mist rises between 30 and 150 metres (100 and 490 ft) from Iguazu's Devil's
Throat, and over 300 m (984 ft) above Victoria. However, Iguazu affords better
views and walkways and its shape allows for spectacular vistas. At one point a
person can stand and be surrounded by 260 degrees of waterfalls. The Devil's
Throat in Argentina has water pouring into it from three sides. Likewise,
because Iguazu is split into many relatively small falls, one can view these a
portion at a time. Victoria does not allow this, as it is essentially one
waterfall that falls into a canyon and is too immense to appreciate all at once
(except from the air).
