Niagara Falls is situated on the border between which two countries?

Niagara Falls lies on the Niagara river, which forms part of the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States.

The three falls:

Horseshoe Falls (Canadian Falls): the largest of the three, shaped like a horseshoe. Most of it lies in Canada, and it carries about 90 per cent of the river's water.

American Falls: lies entirely within the United States.

Bridal Veil Falls: a small fall separated from the American Falls by Luna Island.

Goat Island separates the American and Bridal Veil Falls from the Horseshoe Falls.

Key facts:

The falls are about 50 metres high. They are not very tall, but they are famous for their huge volume of water.

They carry the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America.

They were formed about 12,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age, when melting glaciers created the Great Lakes and the Niagara river.

Because of erosion, the falls have retreated upstream by about 11 km over thousands of years. The rate has now slowed because water is diverted for hydroelectric power.

About the Niagara river:

It flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, about 56 km long.

It forms part of the drainage of the Great Lakes into the St. Lawrence river.

The Welland Canal, in Canada, allows ships to bypass the falls between Lakes Erie and Ontario.

Hydroelectric power:

Niagara was one of the earliest sites of large-scale hydroelectric power. In the 1890s, an alternating current power plant using Nikola Tesla's ideas was built here with George Westinghouse.

Power stations on both sides of the river, such as the Sir Adam Beck stations (Canada) and the Robert Moses station (USA), produce large amounts of electricity.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Brazil and Argentina share the Iguazu Falls.
• ✗Zambia and Zimbabwe share Victoria Falls.
• ✗Peru and Bolivia share Lake Titicaca, not a waterfall.