On our taxi ride back to the hotel after leaving Brazil, we stopped at an overlook where the Rio Iguazú flows into the Rio Paraná.

The Paraná River separates Brazil and Argentina from Paraguay, which lies on the western side of the Paraná, and each of the three countries has an overlook and a monument (like the one above) at the confluence of the two rivers.

In the picture, below, we’re standing on Argentine soil; to the left is Paraguay and to the right is Brazil.

We thought about going to Paraguay for a short visit, but it looked like rain, so we called it a day and returned to the hotel.

It was interesting talking with Walter, our taxi driver, on the drive back. He explained that this area is more heavily populated than we had imagined. Each of the three countries has a city here: Puerto Iguazu in Argentina (pop. 80,000); Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil (pop. 250,000); and Ciudad del Este in Paraguay (pop. 320,000).

Wow, 650,000 people live here, but you’d never guess it if you just visited the Falls.

P.S. The blue dot on the map is our hotel; Iguazu Falls is just below and to the right of our hotel.