The Grand Canyon
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Geography
The Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular places on our planet. It is located in the northern part of the state of Arizona, less than a hundred miles away from Las Vegas and sixty miles away from Colorado City. Its depths were carved by the Colorado river, an although it is not the longest, nor the deepest canyon in the world, it was selected to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World as the majestic beauty of the landscape really makes it wonderful.
Nevertheless, the Grand Canyon's size is spectacular: it is over 277 miles long, and at some points, it is deeper than six thousand feet. It's width is ranging between four to eighteen miles. The Canyon is bordered by two lakes created by the Colorado River: Lake Mead from the West and Lake Powell from the East. Two deserts influence its weather and flora. The Mojave Desert has its influence on the western parts of the Canyon, while the Sonoran Desert's climate affects the eastern parts.
The link
The Grand Canyon's history is strongly linked to the Native Americans, who were the first people to discover the beauty of the area, and also, they were the first ones to settle down there. Ever since, the Grand Canyon is within the management of Native American tribes. Ananazi Indians lived at the eastern parts of the Canyon as early as the 7th century, while Cohonina Indians were settling down at the western part. These groups moved away in the middle of the 12th century because of a drought.
Later on, the site was "rediscovered" by Hopi indians who considered the Grand Canyon a sacred place, and it was a site of frequent pilgrimages by these tribes as well. The Hopi called the Canyon Öngtupqua, which name remained until 1871, when the Canyon received its present name.
However, European people were just about to disturb the peace of the Canyon...
The spectacular view of the Grand Canyon,
or Öngtupqua, as the Hopi called it.