What is Niagara Falls?
Answer
The combined waterfalls on the Niagara River between Ontario and New York State, comprising Horseshoe Falls and the smaller American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.
Explanation
Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls on the Niagara River between Ontario, Canada and New York, United States. Horseshoe Falls (also called the Canadian Falls) is the largest of the three at 670 metres wide and 57 metres tall, with about 90 per cent of the river's flow. The American Falls and the smaller Bridal Veil Falls are on the United States side. Niagara Falls is one of the most-visited waterfalls in the world, drawing about 12 to 14 million visitors annually to the Canadian and American sides combined.
The Niagara River flows about 58 kilometres from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, dropping about 99 metres in elevation. The Niagara Escarpment creates the falls, with the river cutting through layers of sedimentary rock that erode at different rates. The falls have retreated about 11 kilometres from their original location at Queenston-Lewiston since the end of the Wisconsin glaciation about 12,000 years ago. The current rate of erosion is about 1 metre per year, controlled by water-flow regulation under the 1950 Niagara Treaty between Canada and the United States.
Niagara Falls is a major source of hydroelectric power. The Sir Adam Beck Generating Stations on the Canadian side (1922 and 1954) and the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant on the American side (1961) together generate about 4.4 gigawatts of electricity, with output split equally between the two countries under the 1950 Treaty. About 75 per cent of the river's daytime flow is diverted around the falls to the generating stations during the tourist off-season; 50 per cent is diverted during the tourist season to maintain the falls' appearance.
The City of Niagara Falls, Ontario (population about 95,000) sits on the Canadian side and is the principal Canadian tourist destination. The Maid of the Mist boat tours have operated from below the falls since 1846. The Hornblower Niagara Cruises (since 2014, replacing the Canadian Maid of the Mist contract) and the Whirlpool Aero Car (operating since 1916 across the Niagara Whirlpool) are major attractions. The Niagara Parks Commission, established in 1885, manages 56 kilometres of parkland along the Canadian side of the river. The Niagara wine region, on the south shore of Lake Ontario between Stoney Creek and Niagara-on-the-Lake, produces about 80 per cent of Canadian VQA wine.
Why this matters for your test
Niagara Falls is one of Canada's most recognisable natural features and a major source of tidewater hydroelectric power. Recognising Horseshoe Falls as the Canadian section and the 1950 Niagara Treaty with the United States gives candidates two specific anchors.
Source: Niagara Parks Commission; Niagara Treaty (1950)
