| Grand Canyon National Park |
| IUCN Category II (National Park) |
|
|
| Location: |
Arizona, USA |
| Nearest city: |
Flagstaff, AZ |
| Coordinates: |
36°3′27″N, 112°8′15″W |
| Area: |
1,217,403.32 acres
(1,180,862.78 federal)
4,926.66 km² |
| Established: |
February 26, 1919 |
| Visitation: |
4,326,234 (in 2004) |
| Governing body: |
National Park Service |
Grand Canyon National Park is one of America's oldest national parks and is located in Arizona. Within the park lies the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, considered to be one of the major natural wonders of the world. The park covers 1,902 mi² (4927 km²).
The area around the Grand Canyon became a national monument on January 11, 1908 and was designated national park on February 26, 1919. The creation of the park was an early success of the environmental conservation movement; its National Park status may have helped thwart proposals to dam the Colorado River within its boundaries. (Lack of this fame may have enabled Glen Canyon Dam to be built upriver, flooding Glen Canyon and creating Lake Powell.)
The Grand Canyon itself—really an extensive system of tributary canyons— is neither the largest or deepest canyon in the world, but is valued for the combination of large size, depth, and the exposed layering of colorful rocks dating back to Precambrian times. It was created by erosion from the Colorado River and its tributaries.
See also
Grand Canyon from Grandview Point
View west from Yavapai Point. Light snow cover on the ground. 1955.
External links
The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_National_Park under GFDL
