The Grand Canyon is obviously one of the most famous tourist attractions in the world, but we bet you didn’t know these facts.
The Grand Canyon is a breathtaking spectacle carved by the Colorado River in the state of Arizona in the United States.
It’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world and draws nearly five million visitors every year.
Spanning across 277 miles, the towering cliffs and colourful rock layers record billions of years of history and hide many unique species.
If you’re a travel buff you probably already know all this about the Grand Canyon, but we bet you didn’t know these six facts:
The Grand Canyon may be the most famous int he world but it’s neither the longest or deepest gorge.
Its average depth is about 1 mile, but it ranges from 2,400ft deep below Yavapai Point on the South Rim to 7,800ft deep at the North Rim. From tip to tip the canyon measures 277 miles long.
The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in the Himalayas was named the world's longest and deepest canyon by the Guinness Book of World Records.
The enormous gorge reaches 17,567ft deep and covers 308 miles.
2. There’s a town in the Grand CanyonMost people don’t realise that there is an entire town inside the Grand Canyon. Supai Village is located at the base of the giant gorge, within the Havasupai Indian Reservation.
With a population of 208, the community is the most remote in the lower 48 states. Inaccessible by road, its also the only town where mail is still delivered by pack mule.
While rafting down the Colorado River, youtube user KernalPanic and his family came across a cave hidden in the heart of the Grand Canyon.
The cave, which is located between towering rock formations above, opens up into a long narrow passageway and at the end is another waterfall.
This feature is often missed by other people rafting down the Colorado River as it’s hard to catch the small rock opening in the wall.
The Colorado River cuts through the famous canyon revealing layers of rock 1.75 billion years old.
That means nearly half of the Earth’s history is in plain site. Though no dinosaur bones have ever been found in the park, geologically recent fossils, including 11,000-year-old sloth bones, have been found in canyon caves.
5. The glass walkway is owned by a local tribeThere is a glass walkway suspended 1,200 metres above the Grand Canyon floor.
The knee-knocking structure cost more than $30 million (£24m) to build and opened in 2007. It is owned by the Hualapai Indian tribe.
6. Scientists still don't agree on how it formedThe origins of the Grand Canyon are still largely unknown. Strong geologic evidence suggests the Colorado River broke out of the west end of the Grand Canyon about five million years ago
But there is a heated debate about what was there before the river ran its course. Did the river carve the canyon? Or was there already a canyon ready for the mighty river to flow through?
Researchers continue to look into this mystery.
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