The geography of the is varied. It is made up
of Coastal Plains, the vast Great Plains, and the Rocky
Mountains. The flows out of the Rocky
Mountains, forming the border between the United States
and Mexico, and empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
Plateaus, Canyons, Mesas
The is the major plateau in the
Southwest. The area is also famous for its canyons, which
are deep, narrow valleys with steep sides. Among the
deepest is the . A is another landform
found in the Southwest. It is a hill with a flat top. There are also in the area. They are like mesas, but are even smaller. The Grand Canyon is 217 miles long and stretches through northern Arizona. It is more than one mile deep in some places and measures 18 miles from rim
to rim at its widest point. The flows out of the Rocky Mountains and runs through the bottom of the
Grand Canyon. Over millions of years the river cut a deep
path into the plateau and carved the walls into fantastic
shapes. This process is called , which is the slow wearing away of the land by water, wind, or ice. Canyons, mesas, and buttes are all formed by erosion. The Grand Canyon is a national park and is visited by about four million people each year. It is one of our country's most famous and beautiful natural features.
The Roaring Rapids
A is where a river flows very swiftly as elevation
drops. As the Colorado River flows through the Grand
Canyon, it falls more than 1,000 feet in elevation. Most of this drop takes place as the river flows over small
waterfalls. down the Colorado River takes several
days. Along the way you can see the colorful rock walls,
lizards, desert bighorn sheep, and stars in the night sky.
