Niagar Falls is known as the “Honeymoon Capital of the World” and is a mecca for lovers of all ages. The Fall is the international boundary between Ontario, Canada and New York, U.S.A. The River flows calmly northward from Lake Erie, then hastens along more swiftly as it approaches the mighty Niagara Falls, one of the world’s greatest cataracts. After leaping from the overhanging shelf of rock at the crest of the Falls in a thunderous roar, it then seethes and churns through a narrow gorge until it suddenly spills into Lake Ontario. The River drops 96 meters (315 feet) in its brief length. The Falls themselves drop half that distance, pouring nearly half a million tons of water in their basin every minute.

Goat Island separates the Falls into the Horseshoe or Canadian Falls on the west and the American Falls on the east. Just above the Falls is a rapids in which the River drops sixteen meters (fifty-two feet) in 1.6 kilometers (1 mile).

The River runs over a bed of hard limestone, beneath which are layers of softer rock. Because the soft rock wears away faster than the top rock and because of the tremendous outward leap of the water, great caves have been left underneath the lip of the Falls, known as “The Table Rock House Scenic Tunnels,” into which tourists can walk for a thrilling view.

Part of Niagara’s water is diverted before it reaches the Falls, to run through underground tunnels into power houses where electrical energy is developed by giant turbines. By agreement the Canadian Power Plants may divert 1080 cubic meters (36,000 cubic feet per second) and the U.S Plants 600 cubic meters (20,000 cubic feet).

Ships passing between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario navigate the Welland Canal, which runs parallel to the River in Ontario.

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