Yarlung Tsangpo Canyon, Tibet and Fish River Canyon, Namibia
Many people think the Colorado Grand Canyon is the largest in the world. However, the American Geography Committee announced in 1994 that it was in fact the Great Canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River in the Himalayas (Tibet) that claimed this title. The giant fissure descends to an astounding 5,382 metres at its deepest point and its length stretches for more than 496km. Another little-known claimant for the world’s biggest gorge is Fish River Canyon, a spectacular site in Namibia.
The Slot Canyons of Arizona, US
America’s south-west is scored with numerous sleek slot canyons, narrow fissures in the rock eroded by water and wind over the millennia. The most striking is Lower Antelope Canyon, also known as the Corkscrew, located on Navajo land near Page. Its interior changes constantly with the sun’s rays bouncing down the whirling walls.
Andean Penitentes
Fields of ghostly icy figurines dominate certain plains of the high Andes, especially in Chile and Argentina. Known as penitentes (penitents), the eerily humanoid ice sculptures stand still as though in prayer. They are formed at altitudes above 4,000 metres when sunlight is reflected down into the ice blocks, causing variable melting patterns, and can reach heights of more than five metres.
Hell’s Gate, Turkmenistan
Isolated in the middle of the Kara-Kum Desert of Turkmenistan is a strange blazing crater that has been burning non-stop for 38 years. Nicknamed Hell’s Gate, it is the entrance to an underground cavern filled with natural gas. Geologists discovered the cavern in 1971 when the ground under their drilling rig caved in. They ignited it to prevent the poisonous gas from escaping, and it has been burning uninterrupted ever since.
Namib Desert, Namibia
In a list of famous deserts, the Namib falls pretty low. However, this is thought to be the oldest desert in the world and is also home to the planet’s most spectacular sand dunes (Dune Seven reaches as high as 380 metres, making it the world’s highest). The desert is 1,200 miles long but averages a meagre 70 miles wide.
Many people think the Colorado Grand Canyon is the largest in the world. However, the American Geography Committee announced in 1994 that it was in fact the Great Canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) River in the Himalayas (Tibet) that claimed this title. The giant fissure descends to an astounding 5,382 metres at its deepest point and its length stretches for more than 496km. Another little-known claimant for the world’s biggest gorge is Fish River Canyon, a spectacular site in Namibia.
The Slot Canyons of Arizona, US
America’s south-west is scored with numerous sleek slot canyons, narrow fissures in the rock eroded by water and wind over the millennia. The most striking is Lower Antelope Canyon, also known as the Corkscrew, located on Navajo land near Page. Its interior changes constantly with the sun’s rays bouncing down the whirling walls.
Andean Penitentes
Fields of ghostly icy figurines dominate certain plains of the high Andes, especially in Chile and Argentina. Known as penitentes (penitents), the eerily humanoid ice sculptures stand still as though in prayer. They are formed at altitudes above 4,000 metres when sunlight is reflected down into the ice blocks, causing variable melting patterns, and can reach heights of more than five metres.
Hell’s Gate, Turkmenistan
Isolated in the middle of the Kara-Kum Desert of Turkmenistan is a strange blazing crater that has been burning non-stop for 38 years. Nicknamed Hell’s Gate, it is the entrance to an underground cavern filled with natural gas. Geologists discovered the cavern in 1971 when the ground under their drilling rig caved in. They ignited it to prevent the poisonous gas from escaping, and it has been burning uninterrupted ever since.
Namib Desert, Namibia
In a list of famous deserts, the Namib falls pretty low. However, this is thought to be the oldest desert in the world and is also home to the planet’s most spectacular sand dunes (Dune Seven reaches as high as 380 metres, making it the world’s highest). The desert is 1,200 miles long but averages a meagre 70 miles wide.