Higher falls exist, but Niagara puts on a first-class performance. On the border with Canada, the American Falls are 184 feet high, the Canadian Horseshoe, 176 feet. The two are separated by Goat Island. For several hours in the evening, the beauty of the falls continues in a display of colored lights playing over the water.

Originally, after the glacial period, the falls were 7 miles downstream at the Niagara escarpment. Rocks have crashed from top to bottom, causing the falls to retreat at a rate averaging about 1 foot per year.

With a flow of more than 200,000 cubic feet of water per second, Niagara has a power potential of about 4 million horsepower. Electrical production is controlled by agreements between the United States and Canada so that each receives a full share while the beauty of the cataracts is preserved.

The industries nourished by these waters include aircraft, aerospace equipment (Bell), abrasives (Carborundum), food products, paper, chemicals, and a tremendous tourist business. (For border crossing regulations, see MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR TRIP.)