Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls is the collective name for three waterfalls on the Niagara River, where the river drops about 167 feet (51 m) on its way from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario along the U.S.–Canada border. It is not especially tall, but it is extraordinarily powerful — more than 700,000 gallons of water plunge over the falls every second at peak flow, the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America. The thunder and mist are visible and audible from far off.

The falls formed where the Niagara River pours over the Niagara Escarpment, a hard rock ledge, and they steadily erode upstream as the rock crumbles. The largest of the three, the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, curves between Ontario and New York, with the American Falls and small Bridal Veil Falls on the U.S. side. Much of the river's flow is diverted for hydroelectric power, and the falls have drawn sightseers, daredevils, and honeymooners for two centuries.