The Iguazu River or Rio Iguassu (; ; ; ), is a river in Brazil and Argentina. It is an important tributary of the Paraná River. The Iguazu River is long, with a drainage basin of .
Course
The Iguazu originates in the Serra do Mar coastal mountains of the Brazilian state of Paraná and close to Curitiba.
For , to its confluence with the San Antonio River, the Iguazu flows west through Paraná State, Brazil. Downriver from the confluence, the Iguazu River forms the boundary between Brazil and Argentina's Misiones Province. The pH is typically near-neutral, ranging from 5.9 to 8.7. Most fish species in the river are catfish, characiforms and cichlids. About 70% are endemic, which to a large extent is linked to the falls, serving both as a home for rheophilic species and isolating species above and below. Almost 30 introduced species are found in the river where about one-third originate from other continents (such as carp, largemouth bass, tilapia and African sharptooth catfish) and the remaining from elsewhere in South America (such as dorado, Cichla kelberi, pacu, Brycon hilarii, Prochilodus lineatus and Odontesthes bonariensis).
The unusual Aegla crustacean are locally common in the Iguazu River Basin.
Environmental issues
In July 2000 more than of crude oil spilled into the river from a state-run oil refinery in the municipality of Araucária near Curitiba.
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| thumb|x300px|The Iguazu (right) at its confluence with the Paraná (middle)
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See also
- List of rivers of Argentina
- List of rivers of Brazil
- Puerto Iguazú
- Foz do Iguaçu