Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is located on the Niagara River, which is the natural border of Canada and the United States. Part of the waterfall in Canada is sometimes called the " horseshoe", and the American "fata". The height of the waterfall is approximately 53 meters and reaches a kilometer in width. Waterfall attracts a lot of tourists who contribute to the growth of the welfare of Niagara Falls.
Many versions go about the origin of the waterfall name. According to one of them, Niagara came from the name of the settlement of one of the Iroquois tribes - "Ongniaahra", translating as "dismivable land".
The Indians have a tradition of waterfall, telling about the beautiful girl Lelavalaya. The father decided to marry her with an Indian warrior whom she hated and, in order not to marry, decided to give herself a gift to the god of thunder He-But, who lived in a grotto under a waterfall. Lelavalaya took a canoe and swam to the waterfall, but the god of thunder He-But managed to grab it and they began to live together under a waterfall.
Niagara Falls arose approximately 6,000 years ago during glaciation. During the movement, ice layers broke everything that stood in their way, due to this, new lakes and rivers appeared, and the old ones were filled up. Over time, the glacier melted and Water from the Great Lakes poured into the Niagara River, laying its channel through soft rocks. The waterfall was formed due to the fact that its upper part consists of dolomites, which are less prone to erosion. Destructive rocks contribute to the movement of the waterfall upstream, but thanks to engineering work, the movement was kept. According to scientists, the last 500 years of the speed of Niagara Falls was almost a meter and a half a year, but by taking part of the water through the channel of artificial embankment from boulders under waterfall, it was possible to reduce the process of movement to 30 cm per year.
After the Europeans settled these places, the area near the waterfall was bought out by private traders who took money only for the opportunity to see the raging element in the fence hole. Over time, the discontent of the people began to increase and the Free Niagara movement arose, the activity of which contributed to the fact that in 1895 the state created the Niagara Environmental State Park and began to buy land from private land. Canadians also acted, forming the "Park of Niagara Falls of Queen Victoria". Commissions of both parks monitor the use of land throughout Niagara.
Almost the very discovery, the waterfall attracted extremes and just eccentrics. Some like the tightrope walker Jean Francois Gravel passed at the very edge of the waterfall, attracting the curious. Others tried to swim in a barrel of waterfall, but few succeeded, while the survivors were almost all very sharpened. Those who survived were still waiting for a blow - they were seriously fined by both the American and Canadian authorities. Among these "lucky" can be attributed to Karel Susek, who in 1984 overcame the waterfall in a barrel and was fined $ 500 because he performed a trick without a license.
In the 19th, tourism became fashionable and in the 50s developed very well in this area. These places were visited by Jerome - the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1848, at first, a simple pedestrian was built, and then a suspension bridge in 1855.
The waterfall can be viewed from several angles: you can swim close to it on a tourist boat, go to the observation deck located right at the cliff of the waterfall or in a more relaxed atmosphere to inspect the waterfall from the balloon.
