Trifter

In 1994 the Grand Canyon lost the accolade as the largest canyon in the world.  In the same year the Cocla Canyon in Peru lost the title as the deepest canyon in the world.  The National Geographic Magazine and the Guiness Book of Records decided to use both superlatives, the largest canyon in the world, and the deepest canyon in the world to describe the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Tibet.

When we speak of superlatives, our quest to pin down the deepest and longest is imprecise.  Measurements can be taken in different ways and we do not have complete access to remote areas which may be politically “off limits”.  Knowledge of the Yarlung Zangbo Canyon was very sketchy until the Chinese started to issue exploration permits in the early 1990s. 

Rather that chase superlatives, I take a personal view as to which are the largest.  These are:

The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon in Tibet

The Yarling Zangbo is a tributary of the Brahmaputra.  It rises in a Tibetan glacier to the north of the Himilayas and ends by flowing out of the Mouths of the Ganges. The Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon carries the river through the Himilayan range.  The river makes an abrupt “U” turn wher it forces a way past Mount Namcha Barwa (7,756 metres).  The canyon is 496.3 kilometers long, 56.3 kilometres longer than the Grand Canyon, and 5,382 metres deep, 2,100 metres deeper that the Coka Canyon.  In the length of the gorge the river drops 2,700 metrres. 

The Yarlung Zangbo is the highest major river in the world and the longest in Tibet.  The canyon contains unique many plants and animals. It includes the highest green land in the world.

(source: chinaculture) The canyon is in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River and around the highest peak of east Himalayas, Mount Namcha Barwa (7,756 metres above sea level), forming a huge horseshoe-shaped turn. 

The Kali Gandaki George, Nepal

When measured from the top of the highest peak to the water level this is the deepest gorge in the world.  The Kali Gandaki river rises in Nepal, close to the Tibetan border.  It ultimately flows into the Ganges in India.  The river is older than the Himalayas.  It flows through a deep gorge between the mountains of Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres) and Annapurna (8,091 metres).  The river forced a way through the mountainswhile they were developing. The river carries a great deal of glacial silt and has a black colour. The Kali Gandaki gorge has a long history as a trade route.  Today, it is part of a popular trekking and white water rafting destination. 

Source: Wikipedia Kali Gandaki River near Ghasa, between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri

The Cotahuasi Canyon 

The Cotahuasi Canyon near the city of Arequipa was formed by the Cotahuasi River. This canyon is the deepest in the Americas.  The canyon ahs a depth of over 3,354 metres, over twice that of the Grand Canyon.  It passes between the mountains of Coropuna (6,425 metres) and Solimana (6,093 metres).

Source: go2peru

The Tekeke gorge, Ethiopia

The Tekezé (“Terrible”) River rises in the central highlsnds of Ethiopia and ultimately flows into the Nile in Sudan.  During that journey it flows through the deepest canyon  in Africa  and one of the deepest in the world, at some points having a depth of over 2000 meters. In that journey the river falls from about 2,100 to 750 m (7,000 to 2,500 ft).  The river is notes for its heavy seasonal flows during the rainy season.

(2000m+ deep and deepest in Africa)

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

Like so many other deep canyons, this canyon was formed by a pre-existing river that cut through rising land. The Grand Canyon was formed by the Colorado River over a period of six million years.  The canyon is 277 miles long and reaches a maximum depth of 6000 feet. 

(source: hikingtripreports)

Barranca del Cobre, Mexico

(source: coppercanyonadventures)

Barranca del Cobre, or Copper Canyon, is a group of 6 canyons located in the Sierra Tarahumara, in the southwestern part of Chihuahua, Mexico. The cumulative area of the ‘canyon system’ is larger and several portions of the system are deeper the Grand Canyon. To preserve the culture of the Raramuri people and showcase the beauty of this area, Mexico has established the Parque Nacional Barranca del Cobre, or  Copper Canyon National Park.

Colca Canyon, Peru 

The Colca river passes through the Colca Canyon in southern Peru.  Although twice as deep as the Grand Canyon (with a greatest depth of 4,160 metres), the canyon walls are not as steep as in the American counterpart.  The canyon is home to the endangered Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus). There are settlements in the canyon.  Inca and pre-Inca terraces are still cultivated along the less precipitous canyon walls.  Although the Spanish established towns in the canyon, these are deserted.  In the 1980s the area opened up for development through the introduction of the Majes Hydroelectric Project.

Fish River Canyon, Namibia

The Fish River Canyon is second largest canyon in the world. It is the largest in Afric. The Fish River Canyon is some 100 miles long (106 km), up to 16.5 miles (27km)wide and up to 1,800 feet (550m) deep in places.

The Fish River is the longest river in Namibia. The river flows intermittently with flash floods in late summer.

Capertree Valley, New South Wales, Australia

This canyon is regarded as the widest in the world

The Valles Marineris, Mars

The largest of all known canyon is the Martian Valles Marineris.  This canyon is believed to have formed as a stretch mark when magma welled up in an area the size of North America.  This canyon dwarfs terrestial canyons.  It is more than 4,000 km long, 200 km wide and up to 7km deep.