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The Canadian “Horseshoe” Niagara Falls are 180 feet high (60 meters) and 2,500 feet (833 meters) wide. The depth of the Niagara River below the “Horseshoe” Niagara Falls is 180 feet {60 meters} and as deep as Niagara Gorge walls are high.

The huge volume of water that rapidly flows over the “Horseshoe” Falls causes
the rushing waters of the Niagara River to appear green in colour.

The water over the Niagara Falls comes from four of the five, (fresh water) Great Lakes. From Niagara Falls, water flows down the Niagara River merging with the waters of
Lake Ontario, then into the mighty, St. Lawrence River located in northeast Canada. These fresh waters eventually flow north into the Atlantic Ocean.

The horseshoe falls, Niagara

Originally, over 5,000,000,000 gallons (about 2 trillion liters) of water PER HOUR
flowed over the edge of Niagara Falls. Put another way, 35,000,000 gallons of
fresh water PER MINUTE roared over the edge of this natural wonder of the world.
Half of this great water volume is now, diverted {at night and during the off season}
for hydro-electric power generation by the governments of Canada and the United States. Niagara Falls is the largest producer of hydro-electric power in the world, at this time.

The Canada “Horseshoe” Falls began flowing over 12,000 years ago, following the end
of the last ice age and resulting glacial retreat. The Canada “Horseshoe” Niagara Falls
was originally located seven miles (eleven km.) downstream from its current location.
Over the thousands of years, the Niagara Falls created the Niagara Gorge by water erosion, moving upstream at over 4 feet per year (1.33 meters) and located today,
at the city of Niagara Falls. Measurements have been taken since the 1790s
and records have been kept since that time of the movement of the Niagara Falls.

The maid of the mist

The “young” American Niagara Falls (about 600 years old) from over the US side of
the Niagara Gorge, and is 70 feet high (23 meters) and 1,000 feet wide (330 meters).
With only 10% of the water volume flowing from a small tributary of the Niagara River, massive rock debris 100 feet high, continues to build directly below, the American Niagara Falls.

* Niagara Falls were formed as a result of glaciers receding at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes, which together created a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean.

* Although the Niagara Waterfalls are not exceptionally high, they are very wide. Their length of brink is 1060 feet while their height is 176 feet. Niagara Falls are one of the most powerful waterfalls in North America.

* Niagara Falls are located on the international border that separates the Canadian province of Ontario and the American state of New York.

* Niagara Falls includes two major sections which are divided by the Goat Island. These two sections are the Horseshoe Falls, on the Canadian side and the American Falls on the United States side. One smaller section of the waterfall called the Bridal Veil Falls is also located on the American side and is separated from the main falls by the Luna Island.

Aerial view ( click for full size image )

Aerial view of the Canadian horseshoe falls

* One of the oldest and best known tourist attractions at the Niagara Falls is the boat cruise called Maid of the Mist boat cruise, which is named after an ancient Ongiara Indian mythical character.

* The Niagara Falls had long been identified as a potential source of power. One of the very first attempts to utilize the Niagara Falls as a source of energy was in 1759. In 1759, Daniel Joncaire built a small canal above the waterfalls to power his sawmill.

* Augustus and Peter Porter later purchased this place along with the entire American falls in 1805 from the New York state government. Augustus and Peter Porter enlarged the original canal in order to provide hydraulic to power their gristmill and tannery.

* In 1853, the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Mining Company was chartered, which eventually constructed the canals that were to be used for electricity generation. In the year 1881, under the leadership of Jacob Schoellkopf, power was generated using the Niagara waters. The power was sufficient to illuminate both the Falls as well as the nearby Niagara Falls village.

The American falls, viewed form the Canadian side

* It is a fact that the original Niagara Falls were near the sites of present-day Queenston, Ontario, and Lewiston, New York. However owing to the erosion of their crest, the waterfalls have retreated several miles southward.

* Several people have attempted to conquer the Niagara Falls. In October 1829, Sam Patch, jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and also survived the jump. This incident has continues into a long tradition of daredevils, some of whom successfully conquered the falls, while some even lost their lives in the attempt.

* The number of tourists visiting the Niagara Falls in 2008 is expected to total 20 million. In addition to this, the annual rate is expected to top 28 million tourists per year by the year 2009.

The American Falls is one of three waterfalls that together are known as Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada-U.S. border. Unlike the much larger Horseshoe Falls, which lies almost completely in Canada, the American Falls is completely within the U.S. state of New York.