Created by federal decree nr. 1035 of January 10, 1939, the Park comprises a total area of 185,262.5 and a length of about 420km, 300km of which are natural borders by bodies of water and the Brazilian and Argentinean sides together comprise around 225 thousand hectares.
The Iguassu National Park owes its name to the fact it includes an important area of the Iguassu river, approximately 50km of the length of the river and the world famous Iguassu Falls.

The word Iguassu means "big water" in the tupi-guarani etymology. The Iguassu river, which forms the Falls eighteen km before the river meets the Paraná river, overcomes a ground unevenness and plunges 65m with a width of 2,780m. Its geological formation dates back to approximately 150 million years.

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