Niagara Falls

There are water falls with greater heights and there are falls which discharge greater quantity of water, but there is no fall as beautiful, popular, visitor friendly as Niagara It is also has the credit of being located closest to the mega cities like New York and Ontario making it very urban compared to Iguazu Falls or Victoria Falls. Niagara also remains as the most commercially utilized falls in the world. the facilities offered to the tourists make this site a heaven of pleasure seekers.

When people of US and Canada think of a vacation and visiting some wonderful natural spot; the first name that comes to their mind is either Niagara or The Grand Canyon. Tourists from far away places; when they pay a visit to the US first prefer to visit Niagara above all other exotic locations of this country. It is no wonder that this water fall remains as one of the best money spinners to the tourism departments of both states.

Niagara is a 56 km long river that carries the water of Lake Erie to Lake Ontario that is located in a much lower altitude. This river also forms as a boundary between Ontario of Canada and the State of New York. Niagara also has the credit of being one of the few rivers that flow northward in this continent.

This river water has in its course licked away a lot of sand and soft rock from its banks thus creating a not so small gorge on both of its sides, at one point it bifurcates and reunite giving birth to a large river island known as the Grand Island. This island is 33.3 sq km in area and has a population around 20,000 people.

The Niagara Falls on the River Niagara is actually a cluster of three falls coming between two nations, Canada and The US. It is just 17 miles south east from Buffalo,New York and 75 miles from Toronto, Canada. The falls in the Canadian portion –known as the Horse- Shoe fall; is the largest of the three. The US side has two falls The American Fall and the Bridal Weil Fall.

Horse-shoe Fall- the largest among the three; has a height of 173 feet and discharges nine times the water than that of the American fall. It is the second largest with a height between 70 to 110 feet; its straight crest width is 830 feet.One river island known as the Goat Island located between the two on the upper floor of the river separates these two falls.