Editing Iguazu Falls (section)

==Comparisons to other notable falls==
[[File:Cataratas Iguazu vista general.JPG|thumb|View of the Iguazú falls from the viewpoint that is in the lower circuit.]]
[[File:CATARATAS DEL IGUAZU. GARGANTA DEL DIABLO.jpg|thumb|Iguazu Falls in July 2018.]]
{{See also|List of waterfalls by flow rate|Victoria Falls#Statistics}}
Upon seeing Iguazu, the United States First Lady [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] reportedly exclaimed, "Poor [[Niagara Falls|Niagara]]!"<ref name=SATravel/> (which, at 50 m or 165 feet, are a third shorter). Often, Iguazu also is compared with [[Victoria Falls, Zambia|Victoria Falls]] in Southern Africa, which separates [[Zambia]] and [[Zimbabwe]]. Iguazu is wider but is split into roughly 275 distinct falls and large islands, whereas Victoria has the largest curtain of water in the world, at more than {{convert|1600|m|0|abbr=on}} wide and over {{convert|100|m|0|abbr=on}} in height (in low flow, Victoria is split into five by islands but in high flow, it may be uninterrupted). The only wider falls are extremely large rapid-like falls, such as the [[Boyoma Falls]] (Stanley Falls).

With the flooding of the [[Guaíra Falls]] in 1982, Iguazu currently has the [[List of waterfalls by flow rate|sixth-greatest average annual flow]] of any waterfall in the world, following number five Niagara, with an average rate of {{convert|1746|m3/s|cuft/s|-1|abbr=on}}. Its maximum recorded flow was {{convert|45700|m3/s|cuft/s|-3|abbr=on}} on 9 June 2014.<!--source's numbers in m3/s properly rounded based on cfs rounding; clearly source converted to m3/s but did not properly round to significant digits--><ref name="maxflux2">{{cite web|url = http://g1.globo.com/pr/oeste-sudoeste/noticia/2014/06/chuvas-fazem-vazao-das-cataratas-bater-recorde-e-itaipu-abrir-vertedouro.html|title = Chuvas fazem vazão das Cataratas bater recorde e Itaipu abrir vertedouro|date = 9 June 2014|access-date = 11 June 2014|author = Fabiula Wurmeister|publisher = globo.com notícias}}</ref><ref name="maxflux1">{{cite web|url = http://www.cataratasdoiguacu.com.br/portal/paginas/430-dia-historico-nas-cataratas-do-iguacu.aspx|title = Dia histórico nas Cataratas do Iguaçu|date = 10 June 2014|access-date = 11 June 2014|publisher = Cataratas do Iguaçu S.A.|archive-date = 24 August 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170824222647/http://www.cataratasdoiguacu.com.br/portal/paginas/430-dia-historico-nas-cataratas-do-iguacu.aspx|url-status = dead}}</ref> By comparison, the average flow of Niagara Falls is {{convert|2400|m3/s|cuft/s|-3|abbr=on}}, with a maximum recorded flow of {{convert|8300|m3/s|cuft/s|-3|abbr=on}}.<!--properly rounded as above--><ref name="wwd-niagara">{{cite web |title= Niagara Falls |publisher= World Waterfall Database |url= http://www.world-waterfalls.com/waterfall.php?num=142 |access-date= 2 December 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101201115458/http://world-waterfalls.com/waterfall.php?num=142 |archive-date= 1 December 2010 |url-status= dead }}</ref> The average flow at Victoria Falls is {{convert|1088|m3/s|cuft/s|-1|abbr=on}}, with a maximum recorded flow of {{convert|7100|m3/s|cuft/s|-4|abbr=on}}.<!--properly rounded as above--><ref name="wwd-victoria">{{cite web |title= Victoria Falls |publisher= World Waterfall Database |url= http://www.world-waterfalls.com/waterfall.php?num=147 |access-date= 2 December 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101201102227/http://world-waterfalls.com/waterfall.php?num=147 |archive-date= 1 December 2010 |url-status= dead }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em 0 1em 1em;"
|+ Size and flow rate of Victoria Falls with Niagara Falls and Iguazu for comparison
|-
! Parameters
! [[Victoria Falls]]
! [[Niagara Falls]]
! Iguazu Falls
|-
| Height<ref name="WW">{{Cite web |url=http://www.world-waterfalls.com/index.php |title=World Waterfall Database: World's Tallest Waterfalls |access-date=11 March 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714073724/http://www.world-waterfalls.com/index.php |archive-date=14 July 2007 |url-status=bot: unknown  }}</ref>
| {{convert|108|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|51|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|64|-|82|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|-
| Width<ref Name="WW"/>
| {{convert|1,708|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|1,203|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|2,700|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|-
! Flow rate units (vol/s)
! m<sup>3</sup>/s (cu ft/s)
! m<sup>3</sup>/s (cu ft/s)
! m<sup>3</sup>/s (cu ft/s)
|-
| Mean annual flow<ref Name="WW"/>
| {{convert|1,088|m3|cuft|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|2,407|m3|cuft|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|1,746|m3|cuft|abbr=on}}
|-
| Highest recorded flow<ref Name="WW"/>
| {{convert|12,800|m3|cuft|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|6,800|m3|cuft|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|45,700|m3|cuft|abbr=on}}
|- bgcolor="white" font="8pt"
| colspan="100%" |''Notes: See references for explanation of measurements.<br/>For water, cubic metres per second = tonnes per second.<br/>Half the water approaching Niagara is diverted for hydroelectric power.<br/>Iguazu has two drops; height is given for the biggest drop and total height.<br/>10 falls have greater or equal flow rates, but are not as high as Iguazu and Victoria Falls.<ref name="WCD">[http://www.dams.org/docs/kbase/studies/cszzanx.pdf World Commission on Dams website:] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721034408/http://www.dams.org/docs/kbase/studies/cszzanx.pdf |date=21 July 2006 }} "Case Study – Kariba Dam-Zambezi River Basin" Annex 13 & 14 Victoria Falls Mean Monthly Flows. Website accessed 1 March 2007. This website gives mean monthly flow rates in cubic metres per second (i.e., the total volume of water passing in each calendar month divided by the number of seconds in the month), the standard measure used in hydrology to indicate seasonal variation in flow.</ref>''
|}

{{wide image|File:Iguazu Décembre 2007 - Panorama 1.jpg|1000px|align-cap=center|Some of the falls on the Argentine side of the Iguazu Falls, seen from the Brazilian shore.}}