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A canyon, or gorge, is a deep valley between cliff
Cliff

In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them....
s often carved from the landscape by a river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
.






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Grand Canyon
Noravank With Cliffs Dcp 0186
A canyon, or gorge, is a deep valley between cliff
Cliff

In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them....
s often carved from the landscape by a river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
. Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time erosion
Erosion

For morphological image processing operations, see Erosion 'For use of in dermatopathology, see Erosion Erosion is the removal of solids in the natural environment....
 from a plateau
Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland , usually consisting of relatively flat terrain....
 level. The cliff
Cliff

In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them....
s form because harder rock
Rock (geology)

In geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock....
 strata that are resistant to erosion and weathering remain exposed on the valley walls. Canyons are much more common in arid areas than in wetter areas because weathering has a greater effect in arid zones. Canyon walls are often formed of resistant sandstone
Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-size mineral or rock Particle size . Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust ....
s or granite
Granite

Granite is a common and widely occurring type of Intrusion , felsic, igneous rock rock . Granite has a medium to coarse texture, occasionally with some individual crystals larger than the groundmass forming a rock known as Porphyry ....
. Submarine canyon
Submarine canyon

A submarine canyon is a steep-sided valley on the sea floor of the continental slope. Many submarine canyons are found as extensions to large rivers; however there are many that have no such association....
s are those which form underwater, generally at the mouths of rivers. The word canyon is Spanish in origin (cańón). The word canyon is generally used in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, while the word gorge is more common in Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
 and Oceania
Oceania

Oceania is a geography, often geopolitics, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville....
, though it is also used in some parts of the United States and Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
. The military derived word defile
Defile (geography)

Defile is a geographic term for a narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills. It has its origins as a military description of a pass through which troops can march only in a narrow column or with a narrow front....
 is occasionally used in England.

A famous example is the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona....
 in Arizona
Arizona

The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....
. In the southwestern United States, canyons are important archeologically because of the many cliff-dwelling
Cliff-dwelling

Cliff dwelling is the general Archaeology term for the habitations of prehistorical peoples, formed by utilizing niches or caves in high cliffs, with more or less excavation or with additions in the way of masonry....
s built there, largely by the earlier inhabitants, Ancient Pueblo Peoples
Ancient Pueblo Peoples

Ancient Pueblo People or Ancestral Puebloans were an ancient Native Americans in the United States culture centered on the present-day Four Corners area of the Southwest United States, noted for their distinctive pottery and dwelling construction styles....
.

Sometimes large rivers run through canyons as the result of gradual geologic uplift. These are called entrenched river
Entrenched river

An entrenched river is a river that is confined to a canyon or gorge, usually with a relatively narrow width and little or no flood plain, and often with meanders worn into the landscape....
s, because they are unable to easily alter their course. The Colorado River and the Snake River
Snake River

The Snake River is a major tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The river's length is , its drainage basin drains , and the average discharge at its mouth is ....
 in the northwestern United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 are two examples of tectonic uplift
Tectonic uplift

Tectonic uplift is a geology process most often caused by plate tectonics which increases elevation. The opposite of uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation....
.

Canyons often form in areas of limestone
Limestone

File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
 rock. Limestone is to a certain extent soluble, so cave
Cave

A cave is a natural underground void large enough for a human to enter. Some people suggest that the term cave should only apply to cavities that have some part that does not receive daylight; however, in popular usage, the term includes smaller spaces like sea caves, rock shelters, and grottos....
 systems form in the rock. When these collapse a canyon is left, for example in the Mendip Hills
Mendip Hills

The Mendip Hills are a range of limestone hills situated to the south of Bristol and Bath, Somerset in Somerset, England. Running east to west between Weston-super-Mare and Frome, Somerset, the Hills overlook the Somerset Levels to the south and the River Avon, Bristol to the north....
 in Somerset
Somerset

Somerset is a Counties of England in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The Ceremonial counties of England of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west....
 and Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales is the name given to an upland area, in Northern England.The area lies within the Historic counties of England of Yorkshire, though it spans the ceremonial counties of England of North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and Cumbria....
 in Yorkshire
Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a Historic counties of England of northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Because of its great size, over time functions were increasingly undertaken by its subdivisions, which have been subject to History of local government in Yorkshire....
, England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
.

A canyon may also refer to a rift between two mountain peaks such as those in ranges such as the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 4,800 kilometre from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in Canada, to New Mexico, in the United States....
, the Alps
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
, the Himalayas
Himalayas

The Himalaya Range or Himalayas for short , meaning "abode of snow" ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau....
 or the Andes
Andes

The Andes form the world's longest exposed mountain range. They lie as a continuous chain of highland along the western coast of South America. The range is over 7,000 km long, 200-700 km wide , and of an average height of about 4,000 m ....
. Usually a river
River

A river is a natural stream of water, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, or another stream. In some cases a river flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water....
 or stream
Stream

A stream is a body of water less than 60 feet wide with a current , confined within a stream bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as brook, beck, Burn , creek, crick, kill, lick , rill, river syke, bayou, rivu...
 and erosion carve out such splits between mountains. Examples of mountain type canyons are Provo Canyon
Provo Canyon

Provo Canyon is a canyon located in unincorporated Utah County, Utah, Utah and Wasatch County, Utah. Provo Canyon splits between Mount Timpanogos on the north and Rock Canyon Mountain on the south....
 in Utah
Utah

The State of Utah is a western United States U.S. state of the United States. It was the List of U.S. states by date of statehood admitted to the United States on January 4, 1896....
 or Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is a National Park Service located in the eastern portions of Tuolumne County, California, Mariposa County, California and Madera County, California counties in east central California, United States....
 in California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
's Sierra Nevada. Canyons within mountains or gorges that only have an opening on one side are called box canyon
Box canyon

A box canyon is a canyon whose entrance is also its only exit, excluding climbable walls....
s.

Largest canyons

  • Grand Canyon
    Grand Canyon

    The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona....
     in Arizona
    Arizona

    The State of Arizona is a U.S. state located in the Southwestern United States of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix, Arizona....
    , USA
  • Copper Canyon
    Copper Canyon

    The Copper Canyon is a group of canyons consisting of 6 distinct canyons in the Sierra Tarahumara in the southwestern part of the mexican state of Chihuahua in Mexico....
     in Chihuahua, Mexico
    Mexico

    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....


The definition of "largest canyon" is rather imprecise, as a canyon can be "large" by its depth, length, or the total area of the canyon system. Also the inaccessibility of the major canyons in the Himalaya contributes to their not being regarded as candidates for the biggest canyon. The definition of "deepest canyon" is similarly imprecise, especially if one includes mountain canyons as well as canyons cut through relatively flat plateau
Plateau

In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland , usually consisting of relatively flat terrain....
s (which have a somewhat well-defined rim elevation).

The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, along the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet
Tibet

Tibet is a Tibetan Plateau in Asia, north of the Himalayas, and the home to the indigenous Tibetan people and its related ethnic groups. With an average elevation of 4,900 metres , it is the highest region on Earth and has in recent decades increasingly been referred to as the "Roof of the World"....
, China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
, is regarded by some as the deepest canyon in the world, and is even slightly longer than Grand Canyon. Hence it is regarded by many as the world's largest canyon, followed by the Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal
Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
, Polung Tsangpo Canyon in Tibet, Cotahuasi Canyon
Cotahuasi Canyon

Cotahuasi Canyon near the city of Arequipa in Peru is considered deepest of the Americas. Its maximum depth is 3535 meters in the sector of Ninancocha, 335 meters more than the Colca Canyon, but less deep than several canyons in the Himalayas....
 (3,535 m deep and the deepest in the Americas), and the Tekezé gorge
Tekezé River

The Tekez? River is a major river of Ethiopia, and forms a section the westernmost border of Ethiopia and Eritrea for part of its course. The river is also known as the Setit in Eritrea, western Ethiopia, and eastern Sudan....
 (2000m+ deep and deepest in Africa).

Slot canyon
Slot canyon

A slot canyon is a narrow canyon, formed by the wear of water rushing through rock. A slot canyon is significantly deeper than it is wide. Some slot canyons can measure less than one metre across at the top but drop more than 30 m to the floor of the canyon....
s are very narrow canyons, often with smooth walls.

Lists


List of canyons

  • Horseshoe Canyon
    Horseshoe Canyon (Alberta)

    Horseshoe Canyon is a region of badlands surrounded by prairie in the province of Alberta, Canada. It is located about 17 km west of Drumheller, Alberta, along Alberta Highway 9....
    , Alberta
    Alberta

    Alberta is one of Canada Canadian Prairies Provinces and territories of Canada. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado
    Colorado

    The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
    , USA
  • Blyde River Canyon
    Blyde River Canyon

    The Blyde River Canyon is a significant natural feature of South Africa, located in Mpumalanga, and forming the northern part of the Drakensberg escarpment....
    , Mpumalanga
    Mpumalanga

    Mpumalanga, , is a Provinces of South Africa South Africa. The name means east or literally "the place where the sun rises" in Nguni languages....
    , South Africa
    South Africa

    The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
  • Charyn Canyon
    Charyn Canyon

    Charyn Canyon is an 80 km canyon in Kazakhstan on the Charyn River, 200 km east of Almaty, close to the Chinese border. One part of it is known as Valley of Castles for its unusual rock formations....
    , Kazakhstan
    Kazakhstan

    Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a large Eurasian country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the List of countries by area as well as the world's largest landlocked country, it has a territory of 2,727,300 km? ....
  • Colca Canyon
    Colca Canyon

    Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru. It is located about 100 miles northwest of Arequipa. It is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States....
    , Arequipa
    Arequipa

    Arequipa is the capital of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 1,000,291 it is the List of 20 largest cities in Peru of the country....
    , Peru
    Peru

    Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
  • Cotahuasi Canyon
    Cotahuasi Canyon

    Cotahuasi Canyon near the city of Arequipa in Peru is considered deepest of the Americas. Its maximum depth is 3535 meters in the sector of Ninancocha, 335 meters more than the Colca Canyon, but less deep than several canyons in the Himalayas....
    , Arequipa
    Arequipa

    Arequipa is the capital of the Arequipa Region in southern Peru. With a population of 1,000,291 it is the List of 20 largest cities in Peru of the country....
    , Peru
    Peru

    Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
  • Dirk River Canyon, Montenegro
    Montenegro

    Montenegro , Montenegrin language/Serbian language: ???? ????, Crna Gora , ) is a country located in Balkans. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Kosovo to the east and Albania to the south....
    , Europe
    Europe

    Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
  • Fish River Canyon
    Fish River Canyon

    The Fish River Canyon is located in Namibia. It is the second largest canyon in the world and the largest in Africa, as well as the second most visited tourist attraction in Namibia....
    , Namibia
    Namibia

    Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in southern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean coast. It shares borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east, and South Africa to the south....
    , Africa
    Africa

    Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
  • Fraser Canyon
    Fraser Canyon

    The Fraser Canyon is a stretch of the Fraser River where it descends rapidly through narrow rock gorges in the Coast Mountains en route from the Interior Plateau of British Columbia to the Fraser Valley....
    , British Columbia
    British Columbia

    British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
  • Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
    Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

    The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is the first large canyon on the Yellowstone River downstream from Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park....
    , Wyoming
    Wyoming

    The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated U.S. state in the Northwestern United States of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains ....
    , USA
  • Hells Canyon
    Hells Canyon

    Hells Canyon is a ten-mile wide canyon located along the border of eastern Oregon and western Idaho in the United States. It is North America's deepest river gorge at 7,993 feet and the most important feature of Hells Canyon National Recreation Area....
    , Idaho
    Idaho

    The State of Idaho is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. The state's largest city and Capital is Boise, Idaho....
     and Oregon
    Oregon

    Oregon is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers and settlers....
    , USA
  • Huasteca Canyon, Monterrey
    Monterrey

    Monterrey is the capital city of the northeastern Mexico state of Nuevo Le?n and a Monterrey of the same name. Also known as "Sultana del Norte" , Monterrey is an important industrial and business center....
    , Mexico
    Mexico

    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
  • Kings Canyon (Northern Territory)
    Kings Canyon (Northern Territory)

    Kings Canyon is part of the Watarrka National Park in Northern Territory, Australia. Sitting at the western end of the George Gill Range, it is 323 km southwest of Alice Springs, Northern Territory and 1,316 km south of Darwin, Northern Territory....
    , Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
  • Nine Mile Canyon
    Nine Mile Canyon

    Nine Mile Canyon is a canyon, approximately long, located in the County of Carbon County, Utah and Duchesne County, Utah in eastern Utah, in the Western United States....
    , Utah
    Utah

    The State of Utah is a western United States U.S. state of the United States. It was the List of U.S. states by date of statehood admitted to the United States on January 4, 1896....
    , USA
  • Nfeye Canyon, Portugal
    Portugal

    Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
  • Ouimet Canyon
    Ouimet Canyon

    Ouimet Canyon is a large canyon in Canada. It is 1 E2 m deep, 150 metres wide and 2 kilometres in length, and is situated in Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park in Northwestern Ontario, about 60 km northeast of Thunder Bay....
    , Ontario
    Ontario

    Ontario is a Provinces and territories of Canada located in the Central Canada part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
  • Palo Duro Canyon
    Palo Duro Canyon

    Palo Duro Canyon is a canyon system of the Caprock Escarpment in the Texas Panhandle of Texas . As the second largest canyon in the United States, it is roughly 120 miles long and has an average width of 6 miles, but reaches a width of 20 miles at places....
    , Texas
    Texas

    Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
    , USA
  • Rugova Canyon
    Rugova Canyon

    The Rugova Canyon is a long canyon in Kosovo. It is located in the Prokletije close to the border with Montenegro. The city of Pec is located at the entrance of the canyon....
    , Kosovo
    Kosovo

    Kosovo is a disputed region in the Balkans. Its majority is governed by the partially-recognised Republic of Kosovo . Serbia does not recognise the secession of Kosovo and considers it a United Nations-governed entity within its sovereign territory, the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija that was re-created by Slobodan M...
    , Europe
    Europe

    Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
  • Sumidero Canyon
    Sumidero Canyon

    Sumidero Canyon is a canyon located about 40 km from Tuxtla Guti?rrez, capital of the Mexican state of Chiapas. Its cliffs are 900 meters above sea level and overlook the Grijalva River, which extends across the states of Chiapas and Tabasco and flows into the Gulf of Mexico....
    , Chiapas
    Chiapas

    Chiapas is the southernmost States of Mexico of Mexico, located towards the southeast of the country. Chiapas is bordered by the states of Tabasco to the north, Veracruz to the northwest, and Oaxaca to the west....
    , Mexico
    Mexico

    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
  • Shnizow Canyon, Usak
    Usak

    Usak, is a city in the inner Aegean Region, Turkey of Turkey. The city has a population of 172,709 and is the capital of Usak Province.Usak city is situated at a distance of from the region's principal metropolitan center and the port city of Izmir....
    , Turkey
    Turkey

    Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
  • Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, Tibet Autonomous Region
    Tibet Autonomous Region

    The Tibet Autonomous Region , also called Xizang Autonomous Region , is a Province -level Autonomous regions of China of the People's Republic of China ....
    , China
    China

    China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....


List of gorges

  • Avon Gorge
    Avon Gorge

    The Avon Gorge is a 1.5 mile long gorge on the River Avon, Bristol in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles from the mouth of the river at Avonmouth....
    , Bristol
    Bristol

    Bristol is a City status in the United Kingdom, unitary authority area and Ceremonial counties of England in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff....
    , England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
  • Bued Gorge, Benguet
    Benguet

    Benguet is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is La Trinidad, Benguet and borders, clockwise from the south, Pangasinan, La Union province, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya....
    , Philippines
    Philippines

    The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
  • Cataract Gorge
    Cataract Gorge

    The Cataract Gorge is a canyon in Launceston, Tasmania, northern Tasmania, Australia and is one of the region's premier tourist attractions.A pathway, known as the King?s Bridge-Cataract Walk, and originally built by volunteers in the 1890s, runs along the north bank of the Cataract Gorge, and is a popular tourist destination....
    , Launceston
    Launceston, Tasmania

    Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia, with a population of 99,675, located at the juncture of the North Esk River, South Esk River, and Tamar River, Tasmania rivers....
    , Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
  • Cheddar Gorge, Somerset
    Somerset

    Somerset is a Counties of England in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The Ceremonial counties of England of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west....
    , England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
  • Columbia River Gorge
    Columbia River Gorge

    The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south....
    , USA
  • Galston Gorge
    Galston Gorge

    Galston Gorge is part of the picturesque Berowra Valley Regional Park in Sydney, Australia and separates Galston, New South Wales from Hornsby Heights, New South Wales....
    , NSW, Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
  • Ironbridge Gorge
    Ironbridge Gorge

    The Ironbridge Gorge is a deep gorge formed by the River Severn in Shropshire, England.Originally called the Severn Gorge, the gorge now takes its name from its famous The Iron Bridge, the first iron bridge of its kind in the world, and a monument to the industry that began there....
    , Shropshire
    Shropshire

    Shropshire , alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated, in print only, Shrops, is a Counties of England in the West Midlands of England....
    , England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
  • Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal
    Kloof, KwaZulu-Natal

    Kloof is a leafy, middle class to upper class suburb and small town, that includes a smaller area called Everton, in the greater Durban area of eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa....
    , South Africa
    South Africa

    The Republic of South Africa, also known by Official names of South Africa, is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa....
     (The word Kloof means 'gorge' in Afrikaans
    Afrikaans

    Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from Dutch language and thus classified as Low Franconian languages West Germanic languages. It is mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers living in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, Taiwa...
    )
  • Komati Gorge
    Komati Gorge

    Komati Gorge is a river valley in the Mpumalanga Province in central South Africa, which features vertical sandstone cliffs that provide habitat for a biodiversity....
    , South Africa
  • Lanner Gorge
    Lanner Gorge

    The Lanner Gorge is located in the far North of the Kruger National Park. It forms the boundary between the Kruger National Park to the South and the Makuleke to the North....
    , South Africa
  • Manawatu Gorge
    Manawatu Gorge

    The Manawatu Gorge runs between the Ruahine Ranges and Tararua Ranges of the North Island of New Zealand, linking the Manawatu and Hawke's Bay regions....
    , Manawatu, North Island, New Zealand
    New Zealand

    New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
  • Montalban Gorge, Philippines
  • New River Gorge
    New River Gorge National River

    The New River Gorge National River is a unit of the United States National Park Service designed to protect and maintain the New River in southern West Virginia....
    , West Virginia
    West Virginia

    West Virginia is a U.S. state in the Appalachian, Upland South, and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia on the southeast, Kentucky on the southwest, Ohio on the northwest, and Pennsylvania and Maryland on the northeast....
    , USA
  • Katherine Gorge of Nitmiluk National Park
    Nitmiluk National Park

    Nitmiluk National Park which is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 244 km southeast of Darwin, Northern Territory, has been established around a series of gorges on the Katherine River and Edith Falls....
     in Australia
  • Pankisi Gorge
    Pankisi Gorge

    The Pankisi Gorge or Pankisi is a valley region in Georgia , in the northeastern corner of the country, bordering the Chechnyan republic of the Russian Federation....
    , Georgia (country)
    Georgia (country)

    Georgia is a transcontinental country in the Caucasus region, located at the dividing line between Europe and Asia. It is bordered by the Russia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Armenia to the south, and Turkey to the southwest....
  • Pine Creek Gorge
    Pine Creek Gorge

    Pine Creek Gorge, also known as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is situated in approximately 160,000 acres of the Tioga State Forest in the U.S....
    , Pennsylvania
    Pennsylvania

    The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a U.S. state located in the Northeastern United States and Mid-Atlantic States regions of the United States....
    , USA
  • Red River Gorge
    Red River Gorge

    The Red River Gorge, located at , is a canyon system on the Red River in east-central Kentucky. Geologically, it is part of the Pottsville Escarpment....
    , Kentucky
    Kentucky

    The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a U.S. state located in the East Central United States of America. Kentucky is normally included in the group of Southern United States , but it is uncommonly included, geographically and culturally, in the Midwestern United States....
    , USA
  • Royal Gorge
    Royal Gorge

    The Royal Gorge is a canyon on the Arkansas River near Ca?on City, Colorado, Colorado. With a width of at its base and a few hundred feet at its top, and a depth of in places, the 10-mile-long canyon is a narrow, steep gorge through the granite of Fremont Peak....
    , Colorado
    Colorado

    The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
    , USA
  • Samaria Gorge
    Samaria Gorge

    The Samari? Gorge is a national park on the island of Crete, and a major tourist attraction of the island.The gorge is in the prefecture of Chania in southwest Crete....
    , Crete
    Crete

    Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and the List of islands in the Mediterranean largest island in the Mediterranean Sea at 8,336 km? ....
    , Greece
    Greece

    Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
  • Gorges du Tarn
    Gorges du Tarn

    The Gorges du Tarn is a canyon formed by the Tarn River between the Causse M?jean and the Causse de Sauveterre, in southern France. The canyon is mainly located in the Loz?re departments of France, and partially in the Aveyron d?partement....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Taroko Gorge of Taroko National Park
    Taroko National Park

    Taroko National Park is one of the List of national parks in Taiwan in Taiwan and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park....
    , Taiwan
    Taiwan

    Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
  • Three Gorges
    Three Gorges

    The Three Gorges region is a scenic area along the Yangtze River in the People's Republic of China with a total length of approximately 200 km....
    , Hubei
    Hubei

    is a central province of China of the People's Republic of China. Its abbreviation is ? , an ancient name associated with the eastern part of the province since the Qin Dynasty....
    , China
    China

    China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  • Tiger Leaping Gorge
    Tiger Leaping Gorge

    Tiger Leaping Gorge is a canyon on the Yangtze River – locally called the Golden Sands River – located 60 km north of Lijiang City, Yunnan in southwestern China....
    , Yunnan
    Yunnan

    is a political divisions of China of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately 394,000 square kilometers ....
    , China
    China

    China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
  • Verdon Gorge
    Verdon Gorge

    The Verdon Gorge , in south-eastern France , is a river canyon that is considered by many to be Europe's most beautiful. It is the world's second largest gorge, at about 25 kilometers in length and up to 700 meters deep....
    , Provence
    Provence

    Provence is a region of southeastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative regions of France of Provence-Alpes-C?te d'Azur....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Vikos Gorge of Vikos-Aoos National Park
    Vikos-Aoos National Park

    The Vikos-Aoos National Park is a List of national parks of Greece in northeastern Epirus , Greece, and covers an area of 126 square kilometres....
    , Greece
    Greece

    Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....


List of other features causing gorges or canyons

  • Ardčche River
    Ardčche River

    The Ard?che is a 125 km long river in south-central France, right tributary of the Rh?ne River. Its source is in the Massif Central, near the village of Astet....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Bued River, Philippines
    Philippines

    The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
  • Danube River, Europe, including the Iron Gate
    Iron Gate (Danube)

    The Iron Gate is a gorge on the Danube River. It forms part of the boundary between Serbia and Romania. In the broad sense it encompasses a route of ; in the narrow sense it only encompasses the last barrier on this route, just beyond the Romanian city of Orsova, that contains a hydroelectricity dam, with two power stations, Iron Gate I Hydr...
  • Kings River
    Kings River (California)

    The Kings River is a major river of California. It arises in the Sierra Nevada , consisting of three forks. The Middle and South Forks start in Kings Canyon National Park, while the North Fork starts in the John Muir Wilderness....
     of the Kings Canyon National Park
    Kings Canyon National Park

    Kings Canyon National Park is a U.S. National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada , east of Fresno, California. The park was established in 1940 and covers ....
    , California, USA
  • South Nahanni River
    South Nahanni River

    The South Nahanni River is the centrepiece of Nahanni National Park Reserve, located roughly 500 kilometres west of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories in the Northwest Territories of Canada....
     in Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
  • Steall Waterfall
    Steall Waterfall

    An Steall B?n or Steall Waterfall situated near Fort William, Highland, Highland , Scotland is Britain's second highest waterfall with sheer drop of 120 metres....
     of Glen Nevis
    Glen Nevis

    Glen Nevis is a beautiful and popular glen in Lochaber, Highland , Scotland, with Fort William, Highland at its foot. It is bordered to the south by the Mamores range, and to the north by the List_of_Munros#Section_four:_Fort_William_to_Loch_Ericht in the British Isles: Ben Nevis, C?rn Mor Dearg, Aonach M?r, and Aonach Beag....
    , Lochaber
    Lochaber

    Lochaber is one of the 16 ward management areas of the Highland Council of Scotland and one of eight former Local government of Scotland districts of the two-tier Highland Regions of Scotland....
    , Scotland
    Scotland

    conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
  • Swaan River in the Pothohar Plateau
    Pothohar Plateau

    The Pothohar Plateau is a plateau in the Subdivisions of Pakistan of Punjab , Pakistan. The area was the home of the Soanian Culture, which is evidenced by the discovery of fossils, tools, coins, and remains of ancient archaeology sites....
    , Pakistan
    Pakistan

    Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia and borders Central Asia and the Middle East. It has a 1,046 kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman in the south, and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and People's Republic of China in th...


Canyons on other planetary bodies

  • Valles Marineris
    Valles Marineris

    Valles Marineris is a vast canyon system that runs along the Mars equator just east of the Tharsis region. At more than 4,000 km long, 200 km wide and up to 7 km deep, the Valles Marineris rift system is larger than any of Earth's canyon#largest canyons, and is the largest known crevice in the solar system....
     on Mars
    MARS

    In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
    , the largest known canyon in the solar system
  • Ithaca Chasma
    Ithaca Chasma

    Ithaca Chasma is a valley on Saturn 's moon Tethys . It is 100 km wide, 3 to 5 km deep and 2,000 km long, running approximately three-quarters of the way around Tethys' circumference....
     on Saturn
    Saturn

    Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn, along with Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune, is classified as a gas giant....
    's moon Tethys
    Tethys (moon)

    'Tethys' is a natural satellite of Saturn that was discovered by Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1684....


Venus has many craters and canyons on its surface. The troughs on the planet are part of a system of canyons that is more than 6 400 km long.

See also

  • Canyoning
    Canyoning

    Canyoning is traveling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling, and/or swimming....
  • Geomorphology
    Geomorphology

    Geomorphology is the scientific study of landforms and the processes that shape them. Geomorphologists seek to understand why landscapes look the way they do: to understand landform history and dynamics, and predict future changes through a combination of field observation, physical experiment, and numerical mathematical model....
  • Gully
    Gully

    A gully is a landform created by running water erosion sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to tens of metres in depth and width....
  • List of landforms
    Landform

    In the earth sciences and geology sub-fields a landform or physical feature comprises a geomorphology unit, and is largely defined by its surface form and location in the landscape, as part of the terrain, and as such, is typically an element of topography....
  • Ravine
    Ravine

    A ravine is a very small valley, which is often the product of streamcutting erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gully, although smaller than valleys....