Wednesday, March 23, 2011

✈Worldwide Wednesdays: Canyons From Around the World

Where shall we travel to today?....


 Three Gorges, CHINA
Pic by Flickr user stevecadman

The Three Gorges region is a scenic area along the Yangtze River spanning Hubei Province and the Chongqing Municipality in the People's Republic of China with a total length of approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi). The Three Gorges occupy approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) within this region.  Although it is primarily famous for its scenery, the Three Gorges region is historically and culturally an important region in China. A representation of the westernmost gorge appears on the back of the ten yuan note.

The Three Gorges region attracted attention globally due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, which is changing the scenery of the region.


Sumidero Canyon, MEXICO
Pic by Flickr user grantsewell

Sumidero Canyon is near San Cristobal in the state of Chiapas.  It is an awe inspiring canyon whose dramatic cliff walls tower 2,500 feet above you.
Before the completion of the dam here, the canyon's walls were even higher than they are now. Before the dam, the waters running through it were not navigable, even for the most skilled boatmen.

Once the river was dammed, the water levels rose dramatically, creating an extremely deep and serene river which tour boats and taxi boats navigate with ease. The Chicoasen hydroelectric dam, opened in 1981, is today one of Mexico's most important sources of electric power.



  
Bicaz Canyon, ROMANIA

Pic by Wiki user Laurap

The Bicaz Canyon (Cheile Bicazului -- literally The Keys of Bicaz in Romanian, Békás-szoros in Hungarian) is one of the most spectacular places in Romania, located in the north-east part of the country, in Neamţ and Harghita counties.

The canyon was dug by the waters of Bicaz River and it serves as a passageway between the Romanian provinces of Moldova and Transylvania. It is a noted location to see the wallcreeper, an uncommon cliff-dwelling bird.

The road along the 8 kilometres of ravines, often in serpentines with rock on one side and a sheer drop on the other, is one of the most spectacular drives in the country. Also within the Chei is Lacul Roşu (the Red Lake), with its traditional cabins, hotels, and its famous lake (situated at 980m altitude) caused by a landslide in the 19th century.



Colca Canyon, PERU


Colca Canyon is a canyon of the Colca River in southern Peru. It is located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Arequipa. It is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States at 4,160 m., and it is promoted as the "world's deepest canyon," although the canyon's walls are not as vertical as those of the Grand Canyon.

The Colca Valley is a colorful Andean valley with towns founded in Spanish Colonial times, and still inhabited by people of the Collaguas and the Cabanas cultures. The local people still maintain ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces.



Grand Canyon, USA
Pic by Wiki user Purple

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (1.83 km) (6000 feet).

President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.

The Grand Canyon is known for its visually overwhelming size and its intricate and colorful landscape and is one of the most popular canyons of the world. Geologically it is significant because of the thick sequence of ancient rocks that are beautifully preserved and exposed in the walls of the canyon. These rock layers record much of the early geologic history of the North American continent.




Charyn Canyon, KAZAKHSTAN

Charyn Canyon is an 80 km canyon in Kazakhstan on the Charyn River, 200 km east of Almaty, close to the Chinese border. It is part of the Charyn National Park, which is established 23 February 2004 and located within the territory of the Uyghur and Kegen Districts of the Almaty Province.

It stretches 154 kilometres (96 mi) along the Charyn River in the northern Tien Shan mountain range. In parts, it attains a depth of 150 to 300 metres (490–980 ft).
One part of it is known as Valley of Castles for its unusual rock formations. The width of it ranges from 20 to 80 metres (66–260 ft) and the length is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi).


Sources:    Wikipedia, mexperience.com, Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Wikipedia, Wikipedia

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