Niagara Falls, Ontario

Niagara Falls, on the border of Canada and the United States, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, drawing over 14 million visitors per year.

Niagara Falls is composed of two major sections separated by Goat Island: Horseshoe Falls, the majority of which is on the Canadian side of the border, and American Falls on the United States side.

The falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly-formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean. While not exceptionally high, the Niagara Falls are very wide.

The Niagara Region has been inhabited for more than 9000 years. The earliest people in this area were the aboriginals of Iroquoian origin, who visited the area around the Falls to hunt and trade.

SOURCE: Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership, courtesy of Canadian Tourism Commission.

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