Fort Niagara
Definition
Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario.
Analogy
Think of Fort Niagara as a security guard stationed at the entrance of a big shopping mall (North America). Its job was to ensure that only authorized personnel (in this case, French colonists and their allies) could enter or exit without any trouble.
Related terms
New France: This term refers to the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spain in 1763.
Lake Ontario: One of the five Great Lakes of North America. It's bounded on the north by Ontario (Canada) and on the south by New York State (U.S.).
Niagara River: A river that flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in United States.
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