Safekipedia

Niagara Falls

Explorer · ages 7 and underAdapted from Wikipedia
Three famous waterfalls at Niagara Falls, seen from a hotel window: the American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and the Horseshoe Falls.

What Are Niagara Falls?

Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls. They sit at the southern end of the Niagara Gorge. The biggest one is Horseshoe Falls. It is also called the Canadian Falls.

The other two are American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. They are on the United States side.

Where Are They?

The falls sit on the border between Ontario, a Canadian province, and New York, a U.S. state. The falls cross the international border between the two countries.

The Niagara River makes the falls. It carries water from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Two small islands, Goat Island and Luna Island, sit near the falls.

Why People Love Them

Niagara Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in the world. It has more water flowing over it than any other waterfall in North America.

People come from far away to see the beauty of the falls. Many couples visit on their honeymoon. Families come on vacation too. The falls also help make hydroelectric power, which is electricity made from moving water.

Long ago, the falls were made when glaciers melted and pulled back. Water from the Great Lakes carved the path that we see today.

Visiting the Falls

Over 20 million visitors come to Niagara Falls each year. Summer is the busiest time. Many people go on a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist. The boat has taken visitors near the falls since 1846.

Visitors can also walk through Niagara Falls State Park. From the top of the Skylon Tower, you can see the falls from high above. Near the falls, Queen Victoria Park has pretty gardens to explore.

Quiz time!

3 questions about Niagara Falls

Question 1 of 3

What is the biggest waterfall?

Pictures

A physical map of southern Ontario, Canada, showing its land features and geographic boundaries.
The Canadian Horseshoe Falls, part of Niagara Falls, seen from the Skylon Tower, with the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, in the background.
A wide view of American Falls at Niagara Falls, seen from the Skylon Tower observation deck.
A geological map showing the path of the Niagara Escarpment, a long ridge of rock that stretches across parts of Canada and the United States.
The American Falls and Bridalveil Falls at Niagara Falls, photographed from above during preservation work in 1969, when the water was temporarily diverted so engineers could study and repair the rocks.
Horseshoe Falls at Niagara Falls, Ontario, as seen from above in 1869. This photograph was taken by William Notman, a famous Canadian photographer of the 1800s.
American Falls at Niagara Falls, frozen over in winter in 1911, with people walking out on the ice.
An aerial view of Niagara Falls taken in 1931, showing the famous waterfall on the border between Canada and the United States.
A hand-colored print of the Niagara Suspension Bridge from the 1850s, with Niagara Falls in the background and the Maid of the Mist boat in the river below.
An 1895 drawing of the Cantilever Bridge at Niagara Falls, which carried trains of the Michigan Central Railway across the Niagara River gorge.
The Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls, seen from an observation deck. The bridge crosses the Niagara River between the United States and Canada.
Workers and machinery harnessing the power of the Niagara River at Niagara Falls, New York, around 1901.
Ten large Westinghouse generators at the Edward Dean Adams Power Plant in Niagara Falls, built in 1895 as the world's first large-scale alternating current power plant.
Annie Edson Taylor posing with her wooden barrel (1901)
Bobby Leach and his barrel after his trip over Niagara Falls (1911 photo)
Advertising broadside for trip to Niagara Falls from Massachusetts, 1895
Prospect Point Observation Tower (also known as the Niagara Falls Observation Tower)
José María Heredia y Heredia plaque at Table Rock
Falls of Niagara by Richard Wilson, 1774
A General View of the Falls of Niagara by Alvan Fisher, 1820
Distant View of Niagara Falls by Thomas Cole, 1830

Keep exploring

Ontario
Niagara River
United States
U.S. state
Lake Erie
Lake Ontario

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Niagara Falls, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.