In this work, α-Fe2O3 nanowires were synthesized on nickel foam with the metal salt MgCl2 as inducing agents. When the prepared α-Fe2O3 nanowires were used as electrode materials in supercapacitors, they exhibited excellent electrochemical performance compared with pristine α-Fe2O3. The Mg2+-induced α-Fe2O3 nanowires have a large specific capacitance of 1.57 F cm-2 at a current density of 1 mA cm-2 and the specific capacitance retention is approximately 98% at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 after 500 cycles. The good electrochemical performance is due to the unique structure of the nanowires. This work opens a new route for supercapacitor materials.