Is Niagara the highest falls in the world?
- About 500 other waterfalls in the world are “taller” than Niagara. The Angel Falls in Venezuela is tallest at 979 metres (3,212 ft.). However, some of the tallest falls in the world have very little water flowing over them.
- It’s the combination of height and volume that makes Niagara Falls so beautiful.
- More than 168,000 cubic metres (6 million cubic ft.) of water go over the crestline of the Falls every minute during peak daytime tourist hours.
- The Canadian Horseshoe Falls drops an average of 57 metres (188 ft.) into the Lower Niagara River.
- The crest line of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls is approximately 670 metres (2,200 ft.) wide. The plunge pool beneath the Falls is 35 metres (100 ft.) deep.
- The height of the American Falls ranges between 21 to 34 metres (70-110 ft.). This measurement is taken from the top of the Falls tothe top of the rock pile at the base, called the talus slope. The height of the Falls from the top of the Falls to the river is 57 metres (188 ft.). The crest line of the American Falls is approximately 260 metres (850 ft.) wide
- The rapids above the Falls reach a maximum speed of 40 km/hr or 25 mph, with the fastest speeds occur at the Falls themselves (recorded up to 68 mph.) The water through the Whirlpool Rapids below the Falls reaches 48 km/hr or 30 mph, and at Devil’s Hole Rapids 36km/hr.
- The Niagara River is a connecting channel between two Great Lakes, Erie and Ontario.
- Niagara Falls has moved back seven miles in 12,500 years and may be the fastest moving waterfalls in the world.
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