Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon in the US state of Arizona. The canyon is 446km long, up to 29km wide, and has a depth of roughly 1,857m. The Grand Canyon’s enormousness is difficult to convey. It is estimated that about 6.2 million people visit the canyon each year.

The canyon is understood to have been cut or eroded by the Colorado River, which caused its formation – an event which occurred about six million years ago, when the river began flowing its present course. Wind and rain have helped the erosion process.

Unesco declared the Grand Canyon National Park (created in 1919) a World Heritage site in 1979.