The Niagara Falls

Looking for a new place to visit? Have you been to the Niagara Falls? You should see it yourself! Here are some pieces of information you should know about the place:

Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls that straddle the international border between Canada and the United States. More specifically, it is located between the province of Ontario and the state of New York and they all form the southern end of the Niagara Gorge.

From largest to smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls lie mostly on the Canadian side and the American Falls entirely on the American side, separated by Goat Island. The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also on the American side, separated from the other waterfalls by Luna Island.

The Niagara River is is about 58 kilometers in length and is the natural outlet from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. About 500 other waterfalls in the world are taller than Niagara (The Angel Falls in Venezuela is tallest at 979 meters while The Niagara Falls is only 51 meters). The waters of the Niagara River are used by Canadians and Americans for a wide range of purposes such as: drinking water, recreation, fishing, industrial cooling water supply, receiver of municipal and industrial effluents, as well as hydro-power generation.

The startling green color of the Niagara River is a attributed to the erosive power of water. An estimated 60 tons of dissolved minerals are swept over Niagara Falls every minute. The color comes from the dissolved salts and “rock flour,” very finely ground rock, picked up primarily from the limestone bed but probably also from the shales and sand stones under the limestone cap at the falls.

Peak visitor traffic occurs in the summertime, when the Niagara Falls are both a daytime and evening attraction. Do visit it soon to appreciate its beauty!