Have you ever wondered how Niagara Falls got its name?The name Niagara comes from ongniaahra.This word means "thundering waters"in the language of the Iroquios people.The Iroquois were amongst the people to live near the falls. The story of Niagara Falls starts during the last Ice Age, which began about 2 million years ago.At that time in enormous glaciers, and ice sheets ,moved across North America and other places on earth.As they moved ,the glaciers picked up huge rocks, sort of like snowballs rolling over dirt. The rocks scraped the land like bulldozers, carving out huge groves and craters. About 10,000 years ago, Earth's climate warmed and the glaciers melted the craters and Groves filled with water from the melting glaciers. In North America, some of these craters and Groves became the Great Lakes, the Niagara River, and Niagara Falls. There is two main sections to Niagara Falls the American Falls and the Horseshoe Falls and in between the two is a small island called Goat Island. The American Falls are on the US side of the border these falls are about 1,060feet and (323 m )wide and 170 feet and( 52 m )high.
You can find the falls on the border between New York State and Ontario, province in eastern Canada.The water that makes the falls come from the Niagara River, which flows from Lake Erie eastward to Lake Ontario. These lakes are two of the five Great Lakes a group of large freshwater lakes between the United States and Canada.
The Niagara River is about 35 miles (55 km )long as water travels along the river, it flows downhill,because Lake Erie is a higher elevation (point above sea level) Lake Ontario. Halfway between the two lakes, the rivers reach a huge clip called the Niagara Escarpment. When the river flows over the cliff and forms Niagara Falls. The Niagara Falls drops in a long straight sheet a small fall called Bridalveil Falls is also on the US side it's separated from the American Falls by tiny Luna Island. You can find the Horseshoe Falls or on the Canadian side of the border these falls are a U-shaped instead of straight the shape of the falls gives it name.
About 2,600 feet (792 m )wide and 176 feet (54 m )high the Horseshoe Falls ,are much larger than American Falls the Horseshoe Falls Carrie about nine times more water. Niagara falls make thunderous roars, the gigantic sheets of falling Waters sound like 1,000 motorcycles people can hear the rumble of the water far away. Spray and mist fill the air above the fall.Sunlight shining on the mist sometimes form gigantic rainbows.
There is other waterfalls higher and wider than Niagara Falls and carry much more water for instants, Angel Falls in South American country of Venezuela is 3,212 feet (979m) high it is the worlds highest waterfall. Livingston falls on Africa's Congo River carries almost 12 times more water than Niagara Falls.still Niagara Falls is more famous than other falls. And maybe that's because of its location. Niagara Falls is near the big US city of Buffalo,New York and the bigCanadian city of Toronto Ontario,millions of people live close enough to drive to the falls on vacation. There are plenty of airports also close by people from all around the world can easily fly to see the wonder plenty nearby hotels have rooms for tourist restaurants offer good food and Angel Falls and Livingstone falls on the other hand ,very remote parts of the world they are far from big cities is difficult and expensive for tourists to get there.
In the late 1800s people started using the Niagara River to create electricity. They use the rivers flow to turn engines call turbines the spinning turbines generated electricity.Electricity created the power of flowing water is called hydroelectricity in modern times, two hydroelectric power stations operate near Niagara Falls These stations produce electricity for millions of people in the United States and Canada.The stations divert between 50 and 75% of the Niagara River's water before it reaches the falls. After all the water passes through the turbines and the power stations it returns, to the river below in to the falls
You can find millions, of waterfalls on earth but non-as popular as Niagara Falls.
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