Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls are a group of waterfalls that are located in Canada and in the United States.

There are three different falls that work together to make the most powerful waterfall in the whole world.

The Niagara Falls are located in both Ontario, Canada, and in New York, United States of America.

The three waterfalls are:

• Bridal Veil Falls
• Horseshoe Falls
• American Falls

Horseshoe Falls

The Horseshoe Falls is one of the three waterfalls that are found in the Niagara Falls. The Horseshoe Falls is the biggest of the three falls.

More than 44 million gallons of water flow over Horseshow Falls when the water is moving at its best times. Also, 90% of all of the water from Niagara Falls comes from Horseshoe Falls.

The water under Horseshoe Falls is 150 feet deep.

A boat has been stuck upstream from Horseshoe Falls since 1918 and has yet to break free.

Bridal Veil Falls

The Bridal Veil Falls is one of the three waterfalls that are found in the Niagara Falls. Bridal Veil Falls is the smallest of the three waterfalls.

American Falls

The American Falls is the middle of the other falls. One interesting thing about the American Falls is that it has a tunnel system that allows people to go under the falls and see them closely.

Maid of the Mist

Maid of the Mist is a boat that took tourists close to Niagara Falls since 1846. It was considered one of the oldest attractions that was located in North America. Maid of Mist was supposed to close down in 2013.

The Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls are massive, and they have more than 2.7 million liters of water that fall over the falls per second. This is usually the time when the water is at its strongest peak. This happens in the Summer and Fall months.

The biggest drop that happens in the falls is over 50 meters long. Some areas the height of the falls are around 176 feet.

Niagara Falls State Park is over 400 acres long. 140 of those acres are found under the water of the falls.

How Were the Niagara Falls Created?

The Niagara Falls are a great sight to see and many people go to the falls yearly to see them. The interesting thing about the Niagara Falls is that they were created from a glacier that came through the area more than 10,000 years ago.

History of Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls have been around for hundreds of years, but they were first discovered by a man named Louis Hennepin. This happened in December 1678. Louis Hennepin was an explorer from France.

Where Do the Niagara Falls Go?

The water from the Niagara Falls is so massive that it has to flow somewhere, and the water goes to both the Lake Erie and to Lake Ontario.

There are also four of the Great Lakes that flow into the Niagara River. These are:

• Lake Michigan
• Lake Erie
• Lake Huron
• Lake Superior

All of these waters will eventually empty into Lake Ontario.

Why Are the Niagara Falls Important?

Not only are the Niagara Falls important for the area because so many people come to visit them, but they are also important because they use hydropower to help the area to get electricity.

During the months where there are a lot of people, factories use less of the hydropower so that the Niagara Falls can have more water and make the water show more impressive for those that visit them.

Another reason that Niagara Falls is important is that it has some of the biggest amounts of drinking water available on Earth. There is enough water to give 55 million people enough water to drink each minute that the water flows.

Hydroelectric Power

The Niagara Falls was the first fall where hydroelectric power was made. A guy named Nikola Tesla made an invention that helped make the water turn into power so that it could give electricity to both businesses and homes. He invented this in 1895.

Also, in 1895, the first hydroelectric power plant was made. Nikola Tesla was from Niagara, United States of America.

When people use hydroelectric power, it uses a lot of water and it can reduce the water flow. This happens at Niagara Falls, as well and when a lot of tourists are there, they reduce the use of hydroelectric power.

Popular People of the Niagara Falls

There are many people that have attempted to do things with the falls such as swim through them, boat down them, and more. Some of the people here have done some amazing things at the Niagara Falls including:

• David Copperfield-David Copperfield made a movie that showed him doing daring things by Niagara Falls. This movie took place in 1990.
• Nik Wallenda-Nik Wallenda was the first person that ever tight roped over the Niagara Falls. He did this in 2012 and was the first person in over 116 years to do this successfully.
• The very first person that tight roped over the Niagara Falls did so in the year 1859.
• Annie Edson Taylor-Annie Edson Taylor was a schoolteacher and she decided to go over the Niagara Falls in a barrel. She was 63 years old when she did this.

Niagara Falls State Park

The Niagara Falls State Park is the oldest park that is located in the United States. It became a state park in the year 1885.

Areas of Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls has an island that sits in the middle of it and the island is called Goat Island. The island is located between the Bridal Veil Falls and the Horseshoe Falls.

On the Goat Island is a statue that was dedicated to Nikola Tesla who was an inventor.

There is a cave at the falls called “Cave of the Winds,” and it is a place where people can ride in a boat and go in and under the falls. This area has to be torn down each year and rebuilt each year.

Does Niagara Falls Freeze?

Many people believe that Niagara Falls freezes in the winter months, but this is not true. Actually, the only time that the falls were even partly frozen was on March 29, 1848. Even though the falls were not really frozen, what happened was they were only flowing down with a very small stream.

The cause of this small stream was that there was ice that was jammed in the Niagara river and it was not allowing the water to flow the way that it should.

Is Niagara Falls in Trouble?

Many people feel that Niagara Falls are eroding because of all of the water that is always flowing down the falls. Since there is so much water and so much water erosion, scientists think that the falls will only be around for close to 50,000 more years.

It is believed that the erosion rate for Niagara Falls is around 1 foot for every 10 years. This is fast erosion!

Animals of Niagara Falls

One interesting thing is that there are fish that flow over the falls. More than 90% of these fish survive going over the falls because they have adapted to flow with the water.

What Makes Niagara Falls Interesting?

Besides just the beauty of the falls, one interesting thing about the falls is that they are considered one of the “Natural Wonders of the World.” It is neat to think that you can be in the United States and see Niagara Falls or you can be in Canada and see Niagara Falls.

Another interesting thing about Niagara Falls is that if you visit it from the USA side, it is windier than visiting from the Canadian side. This happens because Horseshoe Falls puts a lot of force on the water and it causes more air pressure on the USA side.

Some of the prettiest rainbows have been seen over the falls because of the sunlight that passes through all of the mist from the falls.

More Facts About Niagara Falls:

• It is illegal to go over the falls.
• More than 30 million people each year go to visit Niagara Falls.
• T. Barnum wanted to make Goat Island a circus attraction.
• The oldest United States flag is found at Fort Niagara. This flag was taken during the War of 1812 by the British.
• Even though Niagara Falls is the fastest falls, it is not the tallest. The tallest waterfall is located in Venezuela and is Angel Falls.
• In 1896, hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls was able to reach all the way to Buffalo, New York.

What Did You Learn?

• What are Niagara Falls?
  Niagara Falls is one of the most powerful waterfalls in the United States and in Canada.
• How many falls are part of Niagara Falls?
  There are three waterfalls that make up Niagara Falls: Horseshoe Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and American Falls.
• Is it safe to go over the falls?
  Not only is it very dangerous to go over the falls, it is also illegal.
• Where can you see Niagara Falls?
  You can see Niagara Falls from New York, USA and from Ontario, Canada.
• Is Niagara Falls in trouble?
  Niagara Falls is quickly eroding because of all of the water that flows down it. Some believe that it will only be around for 50,000 more years.

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