Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is the collective, name of three big waterfalls on the Niagara River in eastern North America, on the border between the United States and Canada. The three waterfalls are: the Horseshoe Falls, sometimes called the Canadian Falls, the American Falls, and the smaller Bridal Veil Falls. The American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls are separated with Goat Island, and the Bridal Veil Falls separated from the other waterfalls with Luna Island. Niagara falls is very well known for both its beauty and hydroelectric power. It has been a tourist attraction, commercial site and hydroelectricity source since the 19th century.
It is located near Niagara Falls, New York in the United States and Niagara Falls, Ontario in Canada.The volume of water approaching the falls during peak flow season may sometimes be as much as 225,000 cubic feet (6,400 m3) per second. The cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and Niagara Falls, New York, United States, are connected by two international bridges.
Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age). Water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario and the Atlantic Ocean. The Escarpment has hard limestone on top and soft shale below.
Although not very high, Niagara Falls is very wide, and is probably the most popular waterfall in the world. The Horseshoe Falls are the largest out of the three falls. It is named the Horseshoe Falls because it looks like a horse shoe.
Niagara Falls is a very popular tourist destination and many people visit it on holiday in Canada.
Written for younger readers
Niagara Falls, in simpler words
This version comes from Wikijunior, a set of books written for children aged 8 to 11. It is shorter and uses plainer language than the article above.
From Wikijunior: Big Book Of Cities And Towns
Niagara Falls is a city in the state of New York in the United States. What’s unique about Niagara Falls is the huge waterfall it’s named after. Niagara Falls is right on the border of Canada, where another city called Niagara Falls is.
While it’s not a big city, many tourists visit Niagara Falls every year on both sides of the border.
File:American Niagara Falls.jpg|The American falls, as seen from Canada. File:View of Niagara Falls from the Maid of the Mist IMG 1352.JPG|Tourists on a boat wear ponchos to protect themselves from the heavy mists. File:Maidsofmist.jpg|Tourist boats File:Dryniagara.jpg|In the past, humans have cut off water completely from the falls, exposing the rocky cliffs underneath. File:Niagara Falls observatory tower.JPG|Prospect Point Observatory Tower File:15-23-0882, rainbow bridge from observation deck - panoramio.jpg|Rainbow Bridge connects America and Canada after the falls. File:Niagara Falls Armory Jun 09.JPG|The Niagara Falls Armory, a historic building. File:Niagara Falls Station and Customhouse Interpretive Center.jpg|The Niagara Falls Station and Customhouse Interpretive Center is both a train station, and a museum.
Where this page comes from
The article above is adapted from “Niagara Falls” on Simple English Wikipedia, by its contributors. We removed reference markers, navigation boxes and tables, expanded measurement templates into readable numbers, and kept the prose otherwise intact. The simpler version is adapted from Wikijunior on Wikibooks.
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