Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls are amazing waterfalls located on the Niagara River, between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York

The waterfalls are distinguished not so much with height but more by their width. They are the most powerful waterfalls in North America, serving as a highly esteemed source of hydroelectric power.

It’s not quite sure how the waterfalls have received their present name. The Iroquoian scholar Bruce Trigger claims that the name “Niagara” was borrowed from the name of a group of local residents known as the “Niagagarega”.

It is supposed that the very first people who observed and gave a detailed description of the waterfalls were Samuel de Champlain, Pehr Kalm, Paul Ragueneau, Louis Hennepin and Jean de Brébeuf.

After the American Civil War, the Niagara Falls were described by the New York Central as a lovely place for pleasure and honeymoon visits.

In 1897, the first steel archway bridge called Whirlpool Rapids Bridge was established near the waterfalls.

After the First World War the access to the Niagara Falls became possible for automobiles.
The Niagara Falls was formed by the Wisconsin Glaciation about 10,000 years ago. Similarly, the North American Great Lakes and the Niagara River were created.

Due to the process of erosion the original Niagara Falls shifted about 6.8 miles southward instead of being closer to the sites of present-day Queenston, Ontario and Lewiston, New York.

The Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls are the two divisions of the Niagara Falls.
The width of the Horseshoe Falls is about 2,600 feet and the height is approximately 173 feet.
The width of the American Falls is 1,060 feet while the height varies between 70-100 feet.

During the peak flow season, the quantity of the water is usually about 202,000 cubic feet per second. It reaches 100,000 cubic feet per second during the summer months but in the winter the amount of water reduces to about 50,000 cubic feet per second.

The various indicators of the power of water are managed by the International Niagara Board of Control.

Parliament Hill - Ottawa

The Parliament Hill is a landmark site within an area of 88, 480 square metres. Located in the city of Ottawa, Ontario Parliament Hill hosts numerous of parliament buildings known as the home of the Parliament of Canada.

Parliament Hill is one of the greatest constructions in North America.

Construction of the Parliament Hill’s Centre Block began in1860 when Prince Albert Edward, Prince of Wales laid the first stone. It took sixteen years the structure to be finished.

The grounds of, and behind the parliament were designed in the English garden style, including a wide range of memorials, statues as well as a Carpenter Gothic gazebo. When Queen Victoria died in 1901, those grounds were the site where the memorial ceremony was carried out.

On February 3, 1916 fire destroyed the Centre Block but the same year, on September 1, the original cornerstone was re-laid again by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. The tower of the new building was rebuilt in eleven years and was dedicated to all the Canadians who participated in the First World War and lost their lives on the battlefield. It was called the Peace Tower.

The Centre Block of the Parliament Hill is designed in the modern Gothic style and hosts the Senate and Commons chambers, also the Library of Parliament and the Peace Tower. The East and West Blocks in architectural style are more orientated in the Victorian High Gothic manner, including many administrative spaces, meeting rooms as well as ministers’ and senators’ offices. In the past, behind the West Blocks the used to be the Old Supreme Court Building which was later destroyed.

Over the years Parliament Hill has welcomed many significant events that have marked in some way the history of Canada. Some of these events are: the first visit of the reigning Canadian sovereign King George VI, the visitation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1939, the first raising of the country’s new national flag in 1965, as well as the centennial of Confederation in 1967 and the both Silver and Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977 and in 2001.

The year of 2001 will also be remembered with a huge ceremony, organized to honour the victims of the September 11 attacks in New York.

Since 2002 the Parliament Hill has been under work involving innovation and restoration processes, these focused mainly on asbestos removal, vehicle screening, masonry restoration, electrical and mechanical systems along with improving visitor’s facilities.

Address:
Parliament Hill
Wellington St.
Ottawa
K1A 0A9
Canada

Tel: 613 239 5000

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