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FACT ONE
The Grand Canyon is a massive gorge carved out
by the Colorado River over millions of years.
FACT TWO
The Grand Canyon is 446 kilometres (227 miles) long. In some parts
it reaches a depth of 1.83 kilometres (1 mile) and a width of 18
miles.
FACT THREE
Over five million people
a year visit the Grand Canyon, most of which are from the United
States.
FACT FOUR
The Grand Canyon is home to several native American tribes. The
first European to discover the canyon was the Spaniard Garcia López
de Cárdenas in 1540.
FACT FIVE
A list compiled by CNN in 1997 puts the Grand Canyon as one of the
Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Also on the list is the Great
Barrier Reef, Rio de Janeiro's harbour, Mount Everest, the Northern
and Southern Lights (Aurora Borealis & Aurora Australis), Parícutin
Volcano in Mexico and Victoria Falls.
FACT SIX
The Kolb Brothers built a photographic studio on the South Rim. They
would take photographs of customers descending the canyon and have
them developed by the time they returned. They also made a film of a
river trip through the canyon in 1911 which was shown at their
studio twice a day every day from 1915 to 1975 at their studio and
narrated by Emery Kolb.
FACT SEVEN
The Grand Canyon became a World Heritage site in 1979. Billions of
years of Earth's geological history is preserved in the walls of the
canyon.
FACT EIGHT
A glass walkway extends over the rim of the Grand Canyon, suspended
1200 metres above the canyon floor. Known as the Grand Canyon
Skywalk, it cost over $30 million to build and opened in 2007. It is
owned by the Hualapai Indian tribe.
FACT NINE
The temperature in the Grand Canyon can vary greatly depending on
the time of year and your location. At its coldest in winter, the
North Rim can reach -23 degrees Celsius (-10 degrees Fahrenheit). At
its hottest in summer, the nner Canyon range can reach 43 degrees
Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit).
FACT TEN
The Grand Canyon isn't the deepest gorge in the world. The gorge
that holds this honour is the Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal.
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