Rideau Falls
Encyclopedia
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s located in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
where the Rideau River
Rideau River
thumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...
empties into the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
. The falls are divided by Green Island
Green Island (Rideau River)
Green Island in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is an island at the end of the Rideau River, at the Rideau Falls at the confluence with the Ottawa River. It is situated in the neighbourhood of New Edinburgh....
, with the Old City Hall
Old City Hall (Ottawa)
The John G. Diefenbaker Building is a building in the New Edinburgh neighbourhood of Ottawa, Ontario. The building served as Ottawa's city hall from 1958 to 2000, and is commonly known as Old City Hall...
just to the south. To the west of the falls is the headquarters of the National Research Council
National Research Council of Canada
The National Research Council is an agency of the Government of Canada which conducts scientific research and development.- History :...
while to the east are the Canada and the World Pavilion
Canada and the World Pavilion
The Canada and the World Pavilion was a small museum in Ottawa, Canada. Exhibits were devoted to Canada's contribution to sport, arts and culture, development, peacekeeping, and science...
and the French Embassy. The falls were named by the early French for their resemblance to a curtain
Curtain
A curtain is a piece of cloth intended to block or obscure light, or drafts, or water in the case of a shower curtain. Curtains hung over a doorway are known as portières...
, or rideau in French. The Rideau River was later named after the falls. The Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
was constructed to bypass these falls and the Hog's Back Falls
Hog's Back Falls
The Hog's Back Falls, officially known as the Prince of Wales Falls, but rarely referred to by this name, are a series of artificially-created waterfalls on the Rideau River in Ottawa, Canada...
.