The Triple Frontier (, ) is a

tri-border area A triple border, tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated ...

along the junction of

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

, where the Iguazú and Paraná rivers converge. Near the confluence are the cities of

Puerto Iguazú Puerto Iguazú is a border city in the provinces of Argentina, province of Misiones Province, Misiones, Argentina. With a population of 82,227 (), it is the fourth largest city in the Misiones Province, Province, after Posadas, Misiones, Posadas, ...

(Argentina),

Foz do Iguaçu Foz do Iguaçu (; "Iguazu River mouth"), colloquially referred to as Foz, is the Brazilian city on the border of Iguaçu Falls. Foz in Portuguese language, Portuguese means the mouth or end of a river and Iguaçu in Guarani language, Guarani or Tup ...

(Brazil) and

Ciudad del Este Ciudad del Este (, Spanish for Eastern City; often shortened as CDE) is the second-largest city in Paraguay and capital of the Alto Paraná Department, situated on the Paraná River. It is located 327 km east of Asunción, the capital, and i ...

(Paraguay). This area is near Iguazú Falls and the Itaipu hydroelectric plant.

Population

The population in the Triple Frontier is concentrated in three border cities, with the majority of the region's population living on the Paraguayan side of the border. Of the three major border cities, the largest is

, which in 2018 had a population of 299,255. Meanwhile, the tourist-centric Brazilian city

has a population of approximately 258,248 (2020) and

is the smallest of the three cities, with a population of just 82,227. In the metropolitan region of the Paraguayan side, Presidente Franco has a population in 2018 of 98,805; Hernandarias, 79,036; and Minga Guazú, 86,755. All together, the population of the Triple Frontier adds up to about 950,000 people, making this region the tripoint with the highest population in the world. The

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

community and other Asian immigrant communities, which make up an important part of the urban population in the Triple Frontier, are estimated to number approximately 30,000.

Tourism

The Triple Frontier is an important tourist area, within the touristic subregion of the Región de las Aguas Grandes. Visitors can see the Tancredo Neves bridge, which connects the Argentine city of Puerto Iguazú and its Brazilian neighbor, Foz do Iguaçu. At the convergence of the borders, each of the three bordering countries has erected an

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

, painted in the national colors of the country in which it is located. All three countries can be seen from each of the obelisks. Argentine Obelisk

The Guarani Aquifer is arguably the biggest reservoir of fresh, potable water in the world—right under Triple Border soil (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay). The majority (71%) of its 1.2 million square kilometers lies in Brazil. Brazilian Obelisk

Security

The

George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college vict ...

cited "clear examples" of Islamic groups in the tri-border region in 2002 that "finance terrorist activities."

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

and

Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...

were believed at the time to operate in the Triple Frontier."Frontier in terror spotlight"

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

The particular geography of the border region, rampant political corruption and weak judicial system make it very difficult to monitor

organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnational organized crime, transnational, national, or local group of centralized enterprises run to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally thought of as a f ...

and the illicit activities connected with it. To U.S. officials and law enforcement familiar with the region, "Iranian-backed

militia have been fostering a well-financed force of Islamist radicals in the region". A counter-terrorism expert with

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...

's National Security Study Group described the Tri-border in 2007 as "the most important base for Hezbollah outside

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

itself, home to a community of dangerous fanatics that send their money to financially support Hezbollah." Of the 25,000 Lebanese

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

who live in the region, not all support terrorism, but many openly acknowledge they send money to Hezbollah and that

Shiite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

mosques have "an obligation to finance it". The Paraguayan authorities say they have evidence that money is being sent to organizations with terrorist connections because of the amount of money leaving Paraguay for the Middle East, said Carlos Altemburger, Chief of the Department for the Prevention and Investigation of Terrorism in Paraguay. In response to the situation, Paraguay approved the entry of 400 US soldiers "for joint military exercises, such as programs on fighting urban terrorists, public security and humanitarian assistance", according to ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. However, in October 2006 Paraguay decided not to renew a defense-cooperation agreement. Foz do Iguaçu tourist groups dispute the reports of terrorist activity in the region, as has the U.S. State Department. Since 1996, the Tripartite Command of the Triple Frontier, which coordinates monitoring tasks among the three bordering countries, has been operating from Foz do Iguaçu. The 3+1 Group was created between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and the United States (the "1"), in 2002 to further strengthen security in the region. In 2005, the governments of the three nations stated they would set up a joint intelligence center in Foz do Iguaçu specifically to monitor the situation.

In popular culture

* The Triple Frontier (or here referenced as the Tri-Border Area) is featured as the backdrop for the ''

NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...

'' episode " An Eye for an Eye", as NCIS Special Agents

Anthony DiNozzo Anthony D. "Tony" DiNozzo, Jr.Season 3, Episode 9 "Frame Up" is a fictional character from the CBS TV series '' NCIS'' portrayed by American actor Michael Weatherly. Created by producer Donald P. Bellisario, he appears as a series regular i ...

and

Caitlin Todd Caitlin "Kate" Todd is a fictional character featured in the CBS television drama '' NCIS'' portrayed by Sasha Alexander, appearing in 49 episodes of the series. Alexander made her series debut in the episode "Yankee White", before departing th ...

must travel down to this area of southern Paraguay in order to investigate a professor involved in a case in which a pair of blue eyeballs were mailed to a murder victim. * ''

The Mission (1986 film) ''The Mission'' is a 1986 British historical drama film about the experiences of a Jesuit missionary in 18th-century South America. Directed by Roland Joffé and written by Robert Bolt, the film stars Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons, Ray McAna ...

'' is set in this region in the 1750s. * The Triple Frontier is also featured as the location for ''

The Unit ''The Unit'' is an American action-drama television series created by David Mamet that aired on CBS from March 7, 2006, to May 10, 2009, with the total of four seasons and 69 episodes. The series focuses on a top-secret military unit modeled ...

'' episode " The Kill Zone", where Unit operators must rescue a member of their counterpart team, Team Charlie, during a hostage situation. * In the

Vince Flynn Vincent Joseph Flynn (April 6, 1966 – June 19, 2013) was an American author of political thriller novels featuring the fictional assassin Mitch Rapp. He was a story consultant for the fifth season of the television series ''24 (television), 24'' ...

novel ''Extreme Measures'', a terrorist group funded by al-Qaeda trains and plans to execute terrorist attacks on America while living in the Triple Frontier. * In the 2006 film ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...

'', Sonny Crockett and Rico Tubbs first meet with the drug cartel they are trying to infiltrate in the Tri-Border Area. * Featured in the '' Human Target'' episode " The Return of Baptiste", as the location where a kidnapped reporter is held by a crime lord. The accents and geography shown in the episode are inaccurate for this region. * Included as a major setting of the location for the Sebastian Rotella novel ''Triple Crossing''. * Season 1, episode 7 ("Borderlines") of '' SEAL Team'' revolves around a mission to the Tri-Border Area. * Season 2, Episode 11 (Day I Met the Devil) Magnum P.I. Magnum is called up from the reserves for a top secret mission, but his friends are stunned when they learn that the mission is a lie and Magnum has been set up. (TV-14 L, V) Air Date: Dec 13, 2019 * The events of the 2023 Brazilian police drama Criminal Code is set in the Triple Frontier concerning cross border crime between Paraguay and Brazil

References

External links