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What are The 7 Natural Wonders of The World?

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What are The 7 Natural Wonders of The World?

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What are The 7 Natural Wonders of The World?

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Mount Everest kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

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The Grand Canyon ( Hopi: Öngtupqa, Yavapai: Wi:kaʼi:la, Navajo: Bidááʼ Haʼaztʼiʼ Tsékooh, Southern Paiute language: Paxa'uipi, Spanish: Gran Cañón or Gran Cañón del Colorado ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters).

The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon National Park, the Kaibab National Forest, Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, the Hualapai Indian Reservation, the Havasupai Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of the preservation of the Grand Canyon area and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.

Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While some aspects about the history of incision of the canyon are debated by geologists, several recent studies support the hypothesis that the Colorado River established its course through the area about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River has driven the down-cutting of the tributaries and retreat of the cliffs, simultaneously deepening and widening the canyon.

The result of all the erosion is one of the most complete geologic columns (stacks of rock layers) on the planet. There are nearly 40 major sedimentary rock layers exposed in the Grand Canyon and in the Grand Canyon National Park area. They range in age from about 200 million to nearly 2 billion years old.

The major rock exposures in the Grand Canyon range in age from the almost 2 billion year old Vishnu Schist at the bottom of the Inner Gorge to the 230 million year old Kaibab Limestone on the rim.

Weather conditions during the ice ages also increased the amount of water in the Colorado River drainage system. The ancestral Colorado River responded by cutting its channel faster and deeper.

The base level and course of the Colorado River (or its ancestral equivalent) changed 5.3 million years ago when the Gulf of California opened and lowered the river's base level (its lowest point). This increased the rate of erosion and cut nearly all of the Grand Canyon's current depth by 1.2 million years ago. The stepped appearance of the rocks was caused by their varied resistance to the flow of water.

Biology and ecology

Natural seeps and springs percolating out of the canyon walls are home to 11% of all the plant species found in the Grand Canyon. The canyon itself can act as a connection between the east and the west by providing corridors of appropriate habitat along its length. The canyon can also be a genetic barrier to some species, like the tassel-eared squirrel.

The aspect, or direction a slope faces, also plays a major role in adding diversity to the Grand Canyon. North-facing slopes receive about one-third the normal amount of sunlight, so plants growing there are similar to plants found at higher elevations, or in more northern latitudes. The south-facing slopes receive the full amount of sunlight and are covered in vegetation typical of the Sonoran Desert.

Of the 90 mammal species found along the Colorado River corridor, 18 are rodents and 22 are bats.

Life zones and communities

The Park contains several major ecosystems. Its great biological diversity can be attributed to the presence of five of the seven life zones and three of the four desert types in North America. The five life zones represented are the Lower Sonoran, Upper Sonoran, Transition, Canadian, and Hudsonian. This is equivalent to traveling from Mexico to Canada. Differences in elevation and the resulting variations in climate are the major factors that form the various life zones and communities in and around the canyon. Grand Canyon National Park contains 129 vegetation communities, and the composition and distribution of plant species is influenced by climate, geomorphology and geology.

Lower Sonoran

The Lower Sonoran life zone spans from the Colorado River up to 3,500 feet (1,100 m). Along the Colorado River and its perennial tributaries, a riparian community exists. Coyote willow, arrowweed, seep-willow, western honey mesquite, catclaw acacia, and exotic tamarisk (saltcedar) are the predominant species. Hanging gardens, seeps and springs often contain rare plants such as the white-flowering western redbud, stream orchid, and Flaveria mcdougallii. Endangered fish in the river include the humpback chub and the razorback sucker.

Only 48 bird species regularly nest along the river, while others use the river as a migration corridor or as overwintering habitat. The bald eagle is one species that uses the river corridor as winter habitat.

River otters may have disappeared from the park in the late 20th century, and muskrats are extremely rare. Beavers cut willows, cottonwoods, and shrubs for food, and can significantly affect the riparian vegetation. Other rodents, such as antelope squirrels and pocket mice, are mostly omnivorous, using many different vegetation types. Grand Canyon bats typically roost in desert uplands, but forage on the abundance of insects along the river and its tributaries. In addition to bats, coyotes, ringtails, and spotted skunks are the most numerous riparian predators and prey on invertebrates, rodents, and reptiles.

Raccoons, weasels, bobcats, gray foxes, and mountain lions are also present, but are much more rare. Mule deer and desert bighorn sheep are the ungulates that frequent the river corridor. Since the removal of 500 feral burros in the early 1980s, bighorn sheep numbers have rebounded. Mule deer are generally not permanent residents along the river, but travel down from the rim when food and water resources there become scarce.

The insect species commonly found in the river corridor and tributaries are midges, caddis flies, mayflies, stoneflies, black flies, mites, beetles, butterflies, moths, and fire ants. Numerous species of spiders and several species of scorpions including the bark scorpion and the giant desert hairy scorpion inhabit the riparian zone.

Eleven aquatic and 26 terrestrial species of mollusks have been identified in and around Grand Canyon National Park. Of the aquatic species, two are bivalves (clams) and nine are gastropods (snails). Twenty-six species of terrestrial gastropods have been identified, primarily land snails and slugs.

There are approximately 41 reptile species in Grand Canyon National Park. Ten are considered common along the river corridor and include lizards and snakes. Lizard density tends to be highest along the stretch of land between the water's edge and the beginning of the upland desert community. The two largest lizards in the canyon are gila monsters and chuckwallas. Many snake species, which are not directly dependent on surface water, may be found both within the inner gorge and the Colorado River corridor. Six rattlesnake species have been recorded in the park.

Above the river corridor a desert scrub community, composed of North American desert flora, thrives. Typical warm desert species such as creosote bush, white bursage, brittlebush, catclaw acacia, ocotillo, mariola, western honey mesquite, four-wing saltbush, big sagebrush, blackbrush and rubber rabbitbrush grow in this community. The mammalian fauna in the woodland scrub community consists of 50 species, mostly rodents and bats. Three of the five Park woodrat species live in the desert scrub community.

Except for the western (desert) banded gecko, which seems to be distributed only near water along the Colorado River, all of the reptiles found near the river also appear in the uplands, but in lower densities. The desert gopher tortoise, a threatened species, inhabits the desert scrublands in the western end of the park.

Some of the common insects and animals found at elevations above 2,000 feet (610 m) are orange paper wasps, honey bees, black flies, tarantula hawks, stink bugs, beetles, black ants, and monarch and swallowtail butterflies. Solifugids, wood spiders, garden spiders, black widow spiders, peacocks, and tarantulas can be found in the desert scrub and higher elevations.

Upper Sonoran and Transition

The Upper Sonoran Life Zone includes most of the inner canyon and South Rim at elevations from 3,500 to 7,000 feet (1,100 to 2,100 m). This zone is generally dominated by blackbrush, sagebrush, and pinyon-juniper woodlands. Elevations of 3,500 to 4,000 feet (1,100 to 1,200 m) are in the Mojave Desert Scrub community of the Upper Sonoran. This community is dominated by the four-winged saltbush and creosote bush; other important plants include Utah agave, narrowleaf mesquite, ratany, catclaw acacia, and various cacti species.

The conifer forests provide habitat for 52 animal species. Porcupines, shrews, red squirrels, tassel eared Kaibab and Abert's squirrels, Indian peacocks, black bear, mule deer, and elk are found at the park's higher elevations on the Kaibab Plateau.

Ponderosa pine forests grow at elevations between 6,500 and 8,200 feet (2,000 and 2,500 m), on both North and South rims in the Transition life zone. The South Rim includes species such as gray fox, mule deer, bighorn sheep, rock squirrels, pinyon pine and Utah juniper. Additional species such as Gambel oak, New Mexico locust, mountain mahogany, elderberry, creeping mahonia, and fescue have been identified in these forests. The Utah tiger salamander and the Great Basin spadefoot toad are two amphibians that are common in the rim forests. Of the approximately 90 bird species that breed in the coniferous forests, 51 are summer residents and at least 15 of these are known to be neotropical migrants.

Canadian and Hudsonian

Elevations of 8,200 to 9,000 feet (2,500 to 2,700 m) are in the Canadian Life Zone, which includes the North Rim and the Kaibab Plateau. Spruce-fir forests characterized by Engelmann spruce, blue spruce, Douglas fir, white fir, aspen, and mountain ash, along with several species of perennial grasses, groundsels, yarrow, cinquefoil, lupines, sedges, and asters, grow in this sub-alpine climate. Mountain lions, Kaibab squirrels, and northern goshawks are found here.

The land on the north side of the Grand Canyon is called the North Rim. The land on the south side of the Grand Canyon is called the South Rim. The North Rim is open to visitors from May to October. It is possible to visit the South Rim all year round.

There are trails leading from the North Rim and the South Rim to the bottom of the canyon. These trails lead to a place at the bottom of the canyon called Phantom Ranch. Phantom Ranch has a campground and cabins where hikers can spend the night. Some people also ride mules into the Grand Canyon. Most people who visit the Grand Canyon drive in cars to the South Rim and just look at the canyon from the rim and take pictures. The are also free shuttles for visitors. They are a good way to go from one viewpoint to another. Many tourists like to fly over the canyon in a helicopter to have a panoramic view.

Grand Canyon admission is $35 per car. People accessing by foot or bicycle have to pay $20. Admission to Grand Canyon is included in the National Parks & Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass ($80), which is valid to enter all National Park in United States for a year.

Related pages

Images for kids

In Spanish: Gran Cañón para niños

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Welcome to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the amazing Grand Canyon. It is a marvel of nature as it came about by being carved out of the copper colored Colorado River.

Isn't that just mind-blowing? Read on and find out all there is to know with these cool Grand Canyon facts. This is one place you need to visit, if you haven't already.

Some Grand Canyon history

Apparently there is very strong proof that the Colorado River started at the west end of the Canyon about 5 million years ago! Whoa.

No one can actually agree what it looked like millions of years ago, before the river made its way twisting and turning to make this incredible sight.

It is a massive canyon of red rock.

There are lots of arguments about whether the river carved out the canyon all at once, or whether there was a gorge just waiting for that flow of river to come?

Clever scientists did a study not very long ago, and what they found is quite wow! They found some rocks at the western end that had and were then on the surface about 70 million years ago!

The rock at the bottom of the canyon is a type of metamorphic rock , which is about 2 billion years old. But over 230 million years ago they just stopped gathering together.

This is even older than dinosaurs. No way!

Do you think they've ever found any dinosaur bones here? Well they haven't even though it's so old. They did however find an 11,000 year old sloth!

A man by the name of John Wesley Powell decided to get on his wooden boat and travel the Colorado River.

Wow, he was brave. He was the first one to call it the Grand Canyon, so that's where its name comes from.

This is something quite unbelievable. In the 1950s planes were allowed to fly over the Grand Canyon, and plenty pilots did this to give their passengers an almighty view.

On 30 June, 1956 two passenger planes crashed into each other and unfortunately everyone was killed. Because of this the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was formed as we know it today.

Interesting facts about the Grand Canyon

There's no doubt about it that the Grand Canyon is awesome, but amazingly it is not the longest or the deepest gorge. Wow!

It's about 1 mile (1.6km) deep, but goes between 2,400 feet (731m) deep and 7,800 feet (2,377m) deep in different places.

The canyon has a winding path of 277 miles (446km).

So where is the longest and deepest canyon in the world? Well in 1994, the Guinness Book of World Records proudly crowned the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon in the Himalayas as the world's longest and deepest canyon.

It is 17,700 feet (5,382m) deep and 408 miles (496.3km) long. Strange, but true.

What about the world's widest canyon? Well this prize goes to Australia. The Capertree Valley is wider than the Grand Canyon by a whopping 30km.

There are rattlesnakes found here, but there is one that likes to fit in with its surroundings.

Can you take a guess what color it is? Red? No. It's actually pink and it fits in with the rocks. Guess he must be difficult to see.

The ancient Pueblo Indians first moved into the Grand Canyon over 3,000 years ago and used the caves for shelter. They cut out rooms for the rocks and stored their food there.

The weather here can certainly play tricks on you. In the summer, it's seriously hot at 100⁰F (38⁰C) or more, and in winter it can be 0⁰F (-18⁰C).

Wow, you certainly would need to be prepared.

So for those of you who thought this was the deepest and longest gorge, now you know that it's not. It's also got a super cool history to it!

Gorge - a narrow valley between hills and mountain s.

Eroded - where something wears away over time.

Metamorphic rock - these rocks come about from extreme heat and pressure.

Federal Aviation Administration - they make sure that all the planes follow the rules of flying in the sky.

More Earth Science

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Grand Canyon Facts For Kids Welcome to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the amazing Grand Canyon. It is a marvel of nature as it came about by being carved out of the copper colored Colorado River. Isn't that just mind-blowing?

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In northern Arizona lies one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is a massive canyon of red rock. At the bottom of the canyon runs the Colorado River. The Grand Canyon is over 277 miles long and over 1 mile deep. It is up to 18 miles wide and getting wider.

The Grand Canyon was made by the Colorado River. The river has run through this area for almost 2 billion years, carving the rock into a canyon. Native Americans have lived around the Grand Canyon for thousands of years. Today, almost 5 million visitors come every year to marvel at the canyon.

People like to go hiking and rafting in the canyon. Hiking the Grand Canyon is thrilling, but dangerous. You can also camp in the Grand Canyon. People coming to the Grand Canyon should be careful though. Hiking here is very hard and people often must be rescued because they become too tired or dehydrated to continue. Over 600 people have died in the Grand Canyon in the last 150 years.

Fun Facts about the Grand Canyon for Kids

The ancient Pueblo Indians first inhabited the Grand Canyon over 3,000 years ago. They used the caves for shelter and stored grain in rooms cut out of the rocks.

The Grand Canyon was a sacred site to the pueblo people. They made pilgrimages to it.

People take helicopter rides into the canyon.

The canyon is 4 miles across at the narrowest point.

President Theodore Roosevelt often visited the canyon to tour and hunt. He guided the decision to make the canyon a national park.

John Wesley Powell, for whom Lake Powell is named, was the first to lead an expedition into the Grand Canyon in 1869. He gave the canyon its name.

The weather here is extreme. In the summer, the temperature rises to 100 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Winter temperatures can fall to 0 degrees.

The air here is some of the cleanest in the U.S.

Grand Canyon Vocabulary

How Was the Grand Canyon Formed?

Here's a fun science experiment for kids - how to make a canyon:
Pour some water over sand and notice what happens. The water most likely will run off in one stream, washing away some of the sand and creating a trench. Keep adding water and the trench gets deeper. This is how many valleys are made. A very deep valley is known as a canyon. The Grand Canyon in Arizona is one of the largest canyons in the world.

Easy Science All About the Grand Canyon for Kids Video

Check out this awesome video all about the Grand Canyon:

A video of the Grand Canyon Walk.

Grand Canyon Q&A

Question: How many people visit the Grand Canyon every year?

Answer: Around 5 million people visit annually.

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Question: How old is the Grand Canyon?

Answer: Scientists aren't exactly sure, but they believe the Colorado River started making the canyon about 17 million years ago.

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Question: What is the weather like in the Grand Canyon?

Answer: The South Rim is hot and dry most of the year, while the North Rim can get cold in the winter. The area is very dry. Hikers must bring their own water.

Enjoyed the Easy Earth Science for Kids Website all about the Grand Canyon info? Take the FREE & fun all about the Grand Canyon quiz and download FREE all about the Grand Canyon worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.

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All About the Grand Canyon Fun Earth Science Facts for Kids. Learn more all about the Grand Canyon with our Easy Science website. Simple Science for Kids.

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Coral Reefs: A Journey Through an Aquatic World Full of Wonder

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Coral Reefs: A Journey Through an Aquatic World Full of Wonder

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Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

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Watch Coral Reefs: A Journey Through an Aquatic World Full of Wonder on Epic

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Science Kids - Fun Grand Canyon Facts for Kids

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Science Kids - Fun Grand Canyon Facts for Kids

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Fun Grand Canyon Facts for Kids - Interesting Information about the Grand Canyon

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The Grand Canyon is found in the US state of Arizona.

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Epic reaches 75 million kids in class and after school.

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Conquering Everest kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

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Read National Geographic Readers: Coral Reefs on Epic

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National Geographic Readers: Coral Reefs kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

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Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

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Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

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The Grand Canyon for Kids | Learn all about this natural wonder of the world

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Welcome to the Coral Reef kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

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Watch a video about Parícutin volcano, which emerged from a cornfield in Mexico in 1943. See images taken by Smithsonian scientist William Foshag.

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Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted. Kiddle encyclopedia articles are based on selected content and facts from Wikipedia, rewritten for children. Powered by MediaWiki.

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Mount Everest kids' book from the leading digital reading platform with a collection of 40,000+ books from 250+ of the world's best publishers. Read now on Epic.

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The northern lights (called the aurora borealis) and the southern lights ( aurora australis) appear when tiny particles stream out from the Sun and hit Earth's atmosphere. The particles give some of their energy to atoms and molecules of gases in the upper atmosphere. But the atoms and molecules cannot hold the energy. They quickly give it off as another kind of energy-the colors of light that we call the aurora. These lights occur most often around the North Pole and South Pole because the incoming particles have an electric charge. As the particles arrive, Earth's magnetic field guides them toward the poles.

Photo by: Tim Graham/Alamy

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What are the northern lights? | Highlights Kids

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In February, 1943 there were several earthquakes around Paricutin, Mexico. One day after the earthquakes, a farmer was plowing his corn fields. He noticed a stream of smoke and steam rising from a hole in the ground. He covered the hole with a rock and went on working.

A few days later, the farmer noticed that more smoke was billowing out of the hole and nearby a mound of earth and rock the size of a house had formed in his field. What was happening, he wondered? He was watching the birth of a volcano. Within a year, his entire farm was buried in lava. In fact, the whole town, as well as another nearby town, was buried. The only thing still standing was the church, which was half covered in lava. The volcano continued to erupt for another eight years. Today it is quiet.

Fun Facts about Paricutin for Kids

In just ten weeks, the volcano grew 1,000 feet!

The lava flowed at a rate of 100 feet per hour.

After 1952, the volcano became quiet. It has not erupted since.

No one died during the volcano's growth.

Paricutin Vocabulary

All About Paricutin Video for Kids

This is the best video we found for kids to learn about Paricutin:

This is a video about the growth of the Paricutin Volcano in Mexico.

Paricutin Q&A

Question: Do volcanoes always grow so quickly?

Answer: Most volcanoes were formed slowly thousands of years ago. Paricutin allowed scientists to watch a volcano's birth and growth.

Enjoyed the Geography for Kids all about Paricutin info? Take the FREE & fun all about Paricutin quiz and download FREE Paricutin worksheet for kids. For lengthy info click here.

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All About Paricutin Fun Geography Facts for Kids. Learn more all about Paricutin with our best science kids website. Fun Kids Science Facts on Paricutin.

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Paricutin volcanic eruption and cinder cone formation

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A nine-year eruption (1943–52) of ash and lava from an open field in Michoacán state, Mexico, buries the nearby Tarascan Indian village of Paricutín and creates a new cinder cone volcano.

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Exploring the Coral Reef: Learn about Oceans for Kids - FreeSchool

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An aurora, also called polar light or northern light, is a natural light display in the sky. They are usually seen in the high latitudes ( Arctic and Antarctic) regions. Auroras are produced when the Earth's magnetosphere is disturbed by the solar wind.

An aurora around the North Pole is called the Aurora borealis or 'northern lights'. Around the South Pole it is the Aurora australis or 'dawn of the south'. It can be seen from long distances, stretching in the sky many hundreds of miles.

Auroras can only be seen at night because their light is not as strong as the light of day and faint stars can even be seen through the aurora. However, they can also happen during the day.

An aurora occurs when the Sun sends off particles into space. These particles are mainly electrons, with charge and energy, which means they contribute to electricity. Earth has a protective shield of energy around it. This is called the " magnetic field" and forms an elongated sphere around the Earth called the " magnetosphere". The Earth's magnetic field keeps off most of the solar wind.

At high- latitude areas (polar areas), the magnetic field is vertical. It does not keep off particles of the solar wind which can come from the magnetosphere and hit the particles of the air (Earth's atmosphere). When they hit, the atmosphere is heated and excited and the excess energy gets away, a phenomenon which we see as moving lights in the sky above 100 km altitude typically. An aurora can be especially bright following a solar event called a coronal mass ejection (CME), when the charged particles rip through the electromagnetic field because of their power.

Auroral phenomena have been observed on other planets that have a magnetic field, such as Jupiter, Saturn and more recently Mars. It is believed to be a widespread phenomenon in the Solar System and beyond.

Many legends are associated with the aurora in all countries where this phenomenon regularly occurs.

Images for kids

Jupiter aurora; the far left bright spot connects magnetically to Io; the spots at the bottom of the image lead to Ganymede and Europa.

Aurora during a geomagnetic storm that was most likely caused by a coronal mass ejection from the Sun on 24 May 2010. Taken from the ISS

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An aurora, also called polar light or northern light, is a natural light display in the sky. They are usually seen in the high latitudes ( Arctic and Antarctic) regions. Auroras are produced when the Earth's magnetosphere is disturbed by the solar wind. An aurora around the North Pole is called the Aurora borealis or 'northern lights'.

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Paricutin is a notorious volcano in the state of in . It is the youngest volcano on earth. Two small villages nearby were destroyed in the volcano's first eruption.

Paricutin

19.4932° or 19° 29' 35" north

-102.2513° or 102° 15' 5" west

Thanks for contributing to our open data sources.

Paricutin Satellite Map

© OpenStreetMap, Mapbox and Maxar

Also Known As

Other Places Named Paricutin

Popular Destinations in Michoacan

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move. - Robert Louis Stevenson

Escape to a Random Place

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Paricutin is a notorious volcano in the state of Michoacan in Mexico. Paricutin has an elevation of 2,800 metres. Mapcarta, the open map.

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Virtual Tour of the Falls | Bushtracks Academy

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Virtual Tour of the Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Zambia

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Auroras are dazzling displays of colored light that sometimes appear in the night sky. They occur in Earth's far northern and far southern regions. In the Northern Hemisphere such a display is known as aurora borealis, or the northern lights. In the Southern Hemisphere it is called aurora australis, or the southern lights. Auroras are named after Aurora, the ancient Roman goddess of the dawn.

Auroras take many shapes and forms, with arcs and rays of colored light being the most common. The light may also look like shimmering curtains, bands, waves, or clouds. An aurora constantly changes shape as the light moves across the sky. The light also may brighten and fade.

Auroras are caused by the Sun. The Sun sends out a stream of electrically charged particles called the solar wind. The solar wind travels from the Sun toward the Earth at great speed.

The Earth is a huge magnet surrounded by a magnetic field. The Earth's magnetic field forces the charged particles in the solar wind toward the planet's northern and southern polar regions. The particles move downward through the Earth's upper atmosphere. As they do, they crash into atoms and molecules of gases such as oxygen and nitrogen. These collisions cause the atoms and molecules to give off light. This light is an aurora. An aurora's colors are determined by the different gases that give off the light.

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Auroras are dazzling displays of colored light that sometimes appear in the night sky. They occur in Earth's far northern and far southern regions. In the Northern Hemisphere...

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Parícutin: One of Earth's Youngest Volcanoes

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Parícutin: One of Earth's Youngest Volcanoes

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The deepest canyon in the world is one of the most famous US tourist attractions. And it's respectively called the Grand Canyon of Colorado Plateau: "grand" means "big, magnificent, enormous, great" and so on and so forth. The Grand Canyon was added to the famous UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. The list itself was created in 1972, which makes the Grand Canyon one of its first entries.

The width of the canyon ranges between 20 and 6 kilometers. However, there is one spot where it narrows down to 800 meters. As it narrows down, the walls pull closer together reaching 100 meters gap at the rock bottom.

The canyon has been in the making for 10 million years. 4 different geological eras of Earth are represented in the canyon. Underground forces pushed the Colorado River bed up, forcing the water to gradually cut into the plateau and wash out the canyon's soft rocks. This process is still active: the Colorado River washes out about half a million tons of rock a day, so that even the hardest granite walls of the canyon surrender about quarter of a millimeter each year to this "filing".

The canyon doesn't look like a long narrow hole in the ground at all. It's randomly filled with rocks and cliffs of different shapes: giant pagodas, pyramids, towers, fortified walls and other incredible formations made by nature... Having been thoroughly studied by modern scientists, and being the most famous US tourist attraction, the Grand Canyon receives a lot of visitors. Many of the Grand Canyon cliffs now have their own original names. Such as, Vishnu Temple, Shiva Temple, and Wotan's Throne.

Of course these names are fairly new. Native Americans knew about Grand Canyon thousands of years ago and probably gave those rocks different names. However there is no written evidence of it, only petroglyphs.

The modern human history knows two Grand Canyon discoveries: first one happened in 1540 when a group of Spanish soldiers stumbled upon it in their search for gold. Greedy Spaniards found no gold and no water there, and admiring Grand Canyon scenery wasn't in their plans, so they left and never mentioned this location.

After this incident Europeans have forgotten about the canyon for several centuries. In 1869 professor John Wesley Powell organized first scientific expedition to Grand Canyon. Powell explored and described the canyon. By the way, another US tourist attraction was named after him - Lake Powell.

But let us go back to our canyons. Nowadays a trip to Grand Canyon is on top of the list for almost every tourist coming to the USA. And not so long ago (in the 1940th and 1950th) one could take a picture of the Grand Canyon without actually going there. The thing is that many passenger airlines, flying in this area, intentionally took a scenic route so their passengers could admire the view of the Grand Canyon. It was also common for pilots to make several circles and roll the plane to give the passengers the best view. This was permitted until the collision of 2 passenger aircrafts in 1956. Since then the "dancing" over the Grand Canyon has been prohibited.

Nevertheless, there are several other options for those who want to see the Grand Canyon landscapes: you can take a trip to the USA; or you can enjoy our virtual aerial photo tour. The length of the Grand Canyon is about 450 kilometers. Earlier we published the aerial panoramas' shot at the beginning of the Grand Canyon (link to the Horseshoe), and now we would like to show the West end of the Grand Canyon - which is approximately 100 kilometers from Las Vegas. Let's see!

Photography by Dmitry Moiseenko

16 May 2012

Photogallery
Open Gallery
Tuve el privilegio de conocer ese hermoso lugar hace ya muchos años, en 1980.
El panorama verdaderamente es sensacional.
Las imágenes quedaron grabadas en mi mente por siempre. Una de las maravillas de la Naturaleza como nuestras Cataratas, Nuestro Ventisquero Perito Moreno, Nuestra Antártida, etc.
Otro Panorama similar pude observar en el Cañon de Chicamocha, en cercanáias de Bucaramanga en Colombia.

My breath is taken away by Mother earth each day.
Her treasure is this Earth that we explore each day. To enjoy for a life time each moment you see. Our earth takes our breath away and opens up our senses you see. So we can enjoy and live and love for eternity.

Thank you for such a great way to start the day. I look forward to all that you give.

Neeta Sawhney, USA

Ñêàçî÷íî êðàñèâîå çðåëèùå.Äàæå åñëè
âèäåë ýòî âî÷èþ,Âñå ïðåäñòàåò ïåðåä ãëàçàìè
â äðóãîì,íåâåðîÿòíî êðàñèâîì ïëàíå.
Êàê áóäòî ïîáûâàë íà íåçíàêîìîé ïëàíåòå,
õîòÿ ýòî âñåãî ðîäíàÿ çåìëÿ.Ñïàñèáî êîëëåêòèâó
ýíòóçèàñòîâ,ïðåîäîëåâøèõ âñå,÷òîáû äîíåñòè äî íàñ òî,
÷òî ñàìè ìû íèêîãäà íå óâèäåëè áû íèêîãäà.
Óäà÷è è çäîðîâüÿ âñåì.

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The deepest canyon in the world is one of the most famous US tourist attractions. And it\'s respectively called the Grand Canyon of Colorado Plateau: "grand" means "big, magnificent, enormous, great" and so on and so forth. The Grand Canyon was added to the famous UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 and the Grand Canyon was one of its first entries...

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Victoria Falls, A World Of Wonders, The Biggest Waterfall

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Victoria Falls is a UNESCO World Heritage site recognizing as the world’s largest waterfall, on the border between Zimbabwe & Zambia, on the Zambezi River.

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The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is also known as Guanabara Bay. The harbor is located by the city of Rio de Janeiro on the southeastern coastline of Brazil. The harbor is surrounded by granite monoliths and welcomes visitors to the city of Rio de Janeiro.

What makes the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro a natural wonder?

This is a common question when people think of the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro as a natural wonder. Immediately, the city of Rio comes to mind leading people to ask, what does this have to do with nature. The answer comes from the other name - Guanabara Bay.

Statistically speaking, Guanabara Bay, or the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, is the largest bay in the world based on volume of water. Additionally, the mouth of the harbor is unique resembling more of a river than a bay. This is actually what contributed to the naming of the city Rio de Janeiro, which means "River of January."

The granite monoliths and Sugar Loaf Mountain add to the natural aesthetics of the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro making the world's largest bay even more appealing as a wonder of nature. Corcovado mountain, which is home to the famous Christ the Redeemer statue, overlooks the bay. Copacabana beach graces the bay with her beautiful sand.

What are the best ways to see the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro?

Visitors should plan to see the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro from multiple perspectives to truly capture the grandeur this wonder has to offer. The first view should be captured from the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain, which provides views of the harbor, the city, the beaches, and Corcovado and the other monoliths.

A second view should be captured from Corcovado. This view is high and up over the city providing more of a panoramic view of the harbor. Travelers could also look to take to the skies with a helicopter flight over the bay. This will allow explorers to grasp the expanse of the bay.

pan Point found on the South Rim. This is considerably easier to get to and provides an incredible view of the canyon striations and the Unkar Creek area.

What are the best ways to experience the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro?

If you can only spend the day exploring the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, then you should plan on going to the top of both Sugar Loaf Mountain and Corcovado. These two views of the harbor are both unique and worthwhile.

If you have more time and are more adventurous, taking a hang gliding trip off one of the granite monoliths and flying over the harbor and surrounding area will give you the most comprehensive view as well as most exciting.

Boaters, or those that like to be on the water, can actually get out on a boat to explore the harbor from her waterways. The harbor features a series of islands that boating will allow you to get closer looks.

When is the best time to visit the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro?

September and October are the best months to visit the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro. The weather is fairly nice and the crowds are not as big that come with the summer months. If you reason to go is the beaches, then coming a little later will provide you with the hot months of November through January. These are popular months and the crowds on the beaches reflect the popularity.

Sugar Loaf Mountain should be done in the morning as early as possible. The sun will be behind you as you look back towards the city, beaches, and Corcovado. Corcovado should be explored in the afternoon. The morning view will be gazing right into the rising sun and make for poor pictures and hard to view scenes. The afternoon moves the sun off to the side allowing for better views of the city, Sugar Loaf Mountain, and the harbor of Rio de Janeiro.

What is the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro weather like?

The weather varies by season, but the location is considered tropical without much fluctuation in temperatures. The summer months of November through February are the best time for visiting the beaches as far as temperatures. The winter months are still nice weather wise, but often too chilly for getting in the water.

Photography Tips for the capturing the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro

Taking pictures of the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro can be done at any time of the day, it just matters where you are at that time of day. With limited time, photographers should head to Sugar Loaf Mountain in the morning. The earlier the better. The sun will rise from in front of Sugar Loaf Mountain making it easier to take pictures back over the city, beaches and Corcovado.

As the sun moves across the sky, you should make your way to Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer. The sun will be off to the side allowing you to take the best pictures of the city, bay, and Sugar Loaf Mountain. However, earlier morning times are less busy and easier for taking pictures of the front of Christ the Redeemer. There are photographic reasons to visit Corcovado in both the morning and the late part of the day.

Travel tips for visiting the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro

Yes, the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is one of the Seven Wonders of Nature. Although home to one of the most vibrant and celebratory cities in the world, the harbor is a wonder of nature. The city just provides travelers with exciting night life and other festive activities to enhance a vacation experience. As far as properties on the beach, all hotels are across the street from the beach except for the Sheraton Rio Hotel and Resort. However, this hotel has its own private beach versus access to the popular Copacabana beach.

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The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is also known as Guanabara Bay. The harbor is located by the city of Rio de Janeiro on the southeastern coastline of Brazil. The harbor is surrounded by granite monoliths and welcomes visitors to the city of Rio de Janeiro.

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The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is also known as the Bay of Rio de Janeiro or Guanabara Bay. It is located in Brazil. It was formed naturally by erosion from the Atlantic Ocean. Rio de Janeiro means 'River of January'.

The bay is named after a river that actually does not exist. Explorers in 16 th century thought that they were in a wide-mouthed river. From 1763 to 1960, Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil. Then the capital was changed to Brasilia. The harbor is surrounded by tall mountains that are made of hard granite rocks and a softer rock called Genesis.
Fast Facts: -

The harbor was discovered by a group of Portuguese explorers led by Goncalo Coelho on January 1, 1502.

It took this group of explorers almost three months to sail from Lisbon, Portugal to the new world.

Corcovado is the highest mountain of the harbor. It is 2,300 feet high. The term 'Corcovado' means 'hunchback'.

The world famous 98 feet tall statue of Jesus Christ the Redeemer sits on the top of the Corcovado peak.

It is naturally set in a balloon shaped bay. The bay is 31 km long.

The harbor is the main source of transporting goods and products from different places.

The famous naturalist Charles Darwin visited the place in 1932 and he wrote 'It seemed almost unreal'.

The French once held the city of Rio for ransom. The Portuguese governor negotiated it back for 612,000 gold crusades and 100 sugar chests.

Street art is completely legal in the city. It is to make the already colorful city an outdoor art gallery.

The harbor of Rio de Janeiro has 130 islands and some great beaches like Copacabana, Ipanema etc.

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All Facts for Kids about Harbor of Rio de Janeiro

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The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. It is also known as the Bay of Rio de Janeiro or Guanabara Bay. It is located in Brazil. It was formed naturally by erosion from the Atlantic Ocean. Rio de Janeiro means 'River of January'.

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Rio de Janeiro Harbour is located on the south-western shore of Guanabara Bay, which is surrounded by the city of Rio along a strip of land between the

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Fun Facts about the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro for Kids
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro with some amazing, cool and quick information about this beautiful bay which is the largest in the world. Tourists visit from across the globe to view the fascinating scenery surrounding the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro from luscious white beaches to spectacular mountains.

Our facts have been simplified especially for kids to help teach them important details and information about the natural formation of the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, the mountains which surround the area, the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Please see our fun facts sheet below to learn interesting information and trivia about this Wonder of the Natural World.

Did You Know?
Did you know that the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world? Did you know it is actually the largest bay in the world? Did you know that Sugar Loaf Mountain is situated here? Learn some cool facts including how the harbor was formed and what makes it so spectacular that tourists want to visit the area year after year.

Picture of the Harbor at Rio de Janeiro
Fun facts about the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro would not be complete without a picture of Harbor of Rio de Janeiro location. Watch the video, its fun for kids and children of all ages and ideal for homework help.

Fun Facts for Kids Facts on the 7 Natural Wonders for Kids

Fact Sheet on Harbor of Rio de Janeiro
Fun Facts about Harbor of Rio de Janeiro for kids

Fun Fact 1
The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is situated in Brazil which is one of the largest countries in South America.

Fun Fact 2
The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is Portuguese for the 'river of January'. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil.

Fun Fact 3
The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is one of the biggest bays in the world, in fact, based of the volume of water, it is the biggest!

Fun Fact 4
This beautiful harbor is also known as Guanabara Bay. It is surrounded by mountains making it look even more spectacular. It is no surprise it has become one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.

Fun Fact 5
The mountains which surround the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro include the well known Sugar Loaf Mountain which stands at 395 meters, the Corcovado Peak and the hills of Tijuca.

Fun Fact 6
One aspect which makes the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro more famous is the humungous statue of Christ the Redeemer which stands tall, overlooking the city from its location high up on Corcovado Mountain.

Fun Fact 7
The climate at the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is generally good all year round. During the summer months the temperature is usually very high, between 35-39 degrees Celsius. Even during the winter months, the temperature tends to remain at a pleasant 20-30 degrees Celsius.

Fun Fact 8
The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro was discovered in 1502 and named by Concalo Coelho, a Portuguese seafarer.

Fun Fact 9
The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro is very big, it measures 28 kilometers east to west and 30 kilometers north to south.

Fun Fact 10
The incredible bay has some of the most spectacular beaches with white sand and crystal waters - there are around 80 kilometers of beaches in total!

Fun Fact 11
Rio de Janeiro used to be the capital of Brazil but this changed in 1960 when Brasilia became the country's new capital city.

Fun Fact 12
Rio de Janeiro is the third biggest city in South America and it has a population of around six million people.

Fun Fact 13
There are more than 130 islands within the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro which include Snakes Island, Fundao and Governor's Island.

Fun Fact 14
Guanabara Bay was formed naturally by the Atlantic Ocean. Over time, the sea eroded the rocks and sand developing the bay we recognize today.

Fun Fact 15
The bay was named Guanabara by the Tamoio people who were the original habitants of the the area. The name means 'arm of the sea'.

Fact Sheet on Harbor of Rio de Janeiro
Fun Facts about Harbor of Rio de Janeiro for kids

Fun Facts on Harbor of Rio de Janeiro

Fun facts about the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro for kids - Where - Location - History - What - 7 Wonders of the World Facts - Brazil - Guanabara Bay - Climate - South American - Fast Fun Facts - The Wonders Of The World - Seven - 7 - Natural Wonders - Seven Wonders - Sevenwonders - Fact File - Fact Sheet - Funny Facts - Kids - Interesting Facts - Fast - Children - School - Teachers - Homework - Info - Information - Help - Guide - File - Sheet - Picture - Pic - Image - Photo - Free - Video - Fun facts about the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro for kids

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fun facts about harbor of rio de janeiro for kids

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Fun facts about the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro for kids ***

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Visit this site for fast, fun Facts about the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro for kids. Discover fascinating information with Facts about the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro for kids. Facts on Harbor of Rio de Janeiro for kids and schools - ideal for homework help.

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Nepal is lucky to have so many extraordinary landmarks. Not only that Nepal is known as the birthplace of Buddha, it also has the majority of highest mountains in the world: 8 out of 14 8K Peaksarelocated here. Among them is Mount Everest, the highest mountain on planet Earth.

It is also known as Chomolungma (or Qomolangma), which is Tibetan for "Holy Mother." The name "Everest" comes from Sir George Everest, the Surveyor General of India, a division of the British Raj in India, only because in 1852 survey department workers measured the height of Chomolungma for the first time, showing Peak XV to be the tallest mountain in the entire region and, probably, in the world.

However, the height of Mount Everest is not that obvious. Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian mathematician and topographer, who worked in the above-mentioned institution 240 kilometers away from the mountain, only made an assumption based on trigonometric calculations that Chomolungma is the highest mountain in the world. 4 years later actual surveys showed the height to be 29,002 feet (8,840 meters), proving Radhanath Sikdar's theory.

After that people measured Mount Everest over and over again. There were cases when the mountain "grew" even taller - up to 8,872 meters depending on a measurement method. Today its official height is 8,848 meters above sea level, including 4-meter snowcap.

Here in the land of rocks, snow, and perpetual ice, atmospheric temperature drops down to minus 60 ° Celsius; and at the top of the mountain winds blow at 200 km per hour. At 7,925 meters altitude you enter the "dead zone" where oxygen level drops to 30%. To top it off there are constant ice slips and snow slides, so it is not surprising why no one could reach the summit for such a long time. Even now with advantages of modern technology, the ascent takes about two months, because it happens in several stages, including setting up a camp for altitude acclimatization.

Geographical location Chomolungma on the border of Nepal and China (Tibet) has always been yet another obstacle in conquering the mountain. Time to time Nepal, China, or both countries closed their borders to foreigners. One way or another, first successful ascent was accomplished by sherpa Tenzing Norgay and New Zealander Edmund Hillary in May 29th, 1953, after a long streak of failures of previous expeditions.

As of today there are about 4,000 people who reached the summit of Mount Everest (meaning those who made it to the top). And it's impossible to tell the number of tourists going on shorter routes. Many of those, who made it to the "roof of the world", set some kind of a record: climbing without oxygen tanks, staying without oxygen for almost a day, and skiing down Mount Everest... In 2001 blind American mountaineer Erik Weihenmayer reached the top of Mount Everest; and in 2006 Mark Inglis became the first double amputee to reach the summit. In 1976 Junko Tabei from Japan became the first female mountain-climber to conquer Chomolungma.

However, Mount Everest can be rightfully called a mountain of death. Taking on the challenge of climbing Mt. Everest, a mountaineer knows that he may not come back. He can die of heart failure, lack of oxygen, frostbite, or injury. He can also face such deadly accidents, as frozen valve of an oxygen tank. Furthermore, the trek to the top is so difficult that Alexander Abramov, member of Russian Himalayan expedition, once said, "At altitude of 8,000 meters one can't afford the luxury of morality. Once you reach 8,000 meters mark you are capable of thinking only of yourself, and simply don't have strength to help your companions. " In May 2006 a tragedy occurred on Mount Everest that shocked the entire world: 42 climbers cold-heartedly passed by David Sharp, a slowly freezing British climber, and none of them tried to help him. Some of them were members of Discovery Channel film crew - they attempted to interview the dying man, took some pictures of him, and left him behind...

But nothing can stop those, who want to push their limits and see the indescribable beauty with their own eyes. Our photo expedition to Mount Everest also got its share of troubles.

So now we would like to turn the floor over to Ivan Roslyakov, a person who created this virtual tour.

Where do our dreams take us? Dreams take us to the best things that matter the most, and to the highest accomplishments in our lives.

Our team has been thinking of shooting the highest mountain in the world for a few years. In January 2012 we gave it a first try. Our colleague Dmitry Moiseenko was able to shoot a high-altitude virtual tour of Sagarmatha National Park at the foot of Mount Everest.

When approaching Mount Everest, Dima faced insurmountable obstacle in the form of a strong headwind. This is why he wasn't been able to shoot the highest mountain in the world up close.

We had a year to prepare for the second try.

Everything almost worked out in spring of 2012. A few helicopter companies in Nepal employed powerful high-altitude helicopters designed to rescue people at the altitude of more than 6,000 meters. We arranged a personal meeting with the pilot who was willing to take us to the Valley of Silence (alpine valley at the foot of Mount Everest which is located at the altitude between 6 and 7 kilometers) and discussed details of the photo shoot. However, we couldn't obtain official shooting permit for spring due to several expeditions climbing the mountain. The weather at that time of the year was most favorable for climbing Mount Everest, and high-altitude helicopter could trigger snow slides putting climbers at risk.

Our next shooting attempt in the fall failed for the same reasons.

Then winter arrived. When I thought about all the troubles that our colleague went through last time I realized that we had little chance of success. Despite that I decided to go on a winter expedition to Mount Everest in order to shoot it like no one ever did before.

Everest region is the very first region I visited in Nepalese Himalayas several years ago and it made a lasting impression on me. Since then I was able to go on several mountain expeditions in central Himalayas and walked the total of more than 1000 kilometers down different mountain trails. Each of those expeditions took about a month and they prepared me for long trips, staying in tents and other harsh conditions. I crossed a lot of high mountain passes. I was able to see all of the highest mountains of Nepal with my own eyes from observation view-points and peaks located at altitudes of 5000-6000 meters.

This mission required me to go to the familiar Sagarmatha National Park and from there to the track leading to the foot of Everest. On one hand the Park had a well-developed infrastructure (after all it's the most popular mountain track in the world!), on the other hand, due to winter period, few tourists visited this location that time of year. Local residents went down to the warm valleys and by doing so they significantly reduced the number of open lodges (small stone houses that were blown through by mountain winds between finger-thick cracks and holes in the masonry), where you can stay for the night. So I had to use my tent again.

Winter weather can be very unpredictable. And I was the one to experience that. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, I found a group of tired tourists who were waiting for a plane or helicopter that would take them to their tracking routes. A very thick fog covered Kathmandu Valley for a couple of days, so all mountain flights were canceled, and weather forecast was not reassuring.

In order to keep up with my schedule I decided to go to Lukla, a small airport near Mount Everest, on my own. It took me a whole day of driving down narrow serpentine roads and a few days of hiking along narrow and steep mountain trails. To save some time, we agreed that helicopter pilot would fly to Lukla, spend the night at a local hotel, and in the morning we'd set off for the mountain.

It's hard to describe my excitement before departure! But circumstances were against us: the pilot didn't make it to Lukla. In the end I decided to take a mountain track to Mount Everest for better acclimatization, and helicopter would pick me up on the way there. I was lucky that in almost every village where I could stay for the night there was a helipad.

For several days one could see a lonely Russian tourist with several cameras hanging on his neck standing on high mountain helipads expecting "iron bird" that would never arrive. The mission was postponed due to weather conditions or some technical issues: helicopter required special preparation. Only when I reached Gokyo settlement, located at altitude 4700 meters in the neighboring valley near Mount Everest, I received a call from the pilot that he would pick me up the next morning. But it turned out that the pilot who knew all the details of this difficult flight was still busy. The one who was supposed to pick me up was an American guy whose name was Aaron Oberlander, and who just recently arrived to Nepal in order to train local pilots.

We planned our shooting on 25th of December, Catholic Christmas day. Fortunately for us, there were no winter expeditions on the mountain at the time. The forecast promised us cloudless weather in the region, and the weather service promised weak winds (50 km/h) near Mount Everest peak. Everything was in our favor.

What happened after could be only described as anxious hours of preparation, short sleep interrupted by auditory hallucinations of approaching helicopter, and agonizing minutes of waiting on a small spot on the field (a village helipad) early in the morning. Finally I heard the sound of rotating propellers and it was no longer a fantasy. A few minutes later a tiny red dot appeared in the sky. It took only 10 minutes for a helicopter to cover the distance that took me 3 days to traverse on foot.

And finally it landed near the high mountain lake, interrupting morning silence and attracting attention of local people, it was the most advanced helicopter from Nepalese fleet. It took some time to get acquainted with the pilot and discuss technicalities and we set off for the Mount Everest.

After we left Gokio we needed to gain altitude of 6000 meters in order to cross high mountain pass Changri-La. After that we needed to land on the slopes of the popular tourist peak Kala Patthar located at the altitude of 5200 meters (the highest point on the track to Mount Everest) in order to unload the fuel supply needed for the way back. We had to get rid of all the unnecessary equipment from the cabin in order to reduce weight.

Mechanics went a little overboard with pre-flight preparations leaving only one oxygen cylinder for the pilot and forgetting about the passenger. Later I realized that even after a week of trekking and climbing 5 kilometers up, my body wasn't prepared. So when we were flying over the mountain pass on the way to Mount Everest oxygen starvation was affecting my thoughts and actions.

After a few minutes of preparation we began ascent to our goal. Rapidly gaining altitude, helicopter crossed Nuptse wall, an obstacle that blockes the view of Mount Everest from ordinary tourists: its lowest part is 6500 meters tall and allows only a small part of the summit to be visible to travelers. And finally we reached Valley of Silence.

Flying over one of the highest glaciers in the world, we moved along the southern route, most popular among conquerors of Mount Everest.

Just behind the wall of Nuptse (at the top of the Khumbu Icefall) there is a place where one sets up the first high-altitude camp (6050 meters); the second camp is being set up in the center of the ice gorge on a stone ridge (6500 meters); then we approached ice wall of Lhotse (4th highest mountain on the planet that is 8516 meters tall) where climbers set up the third high-altitude camp (7100 meters).

For your information: climbers set up the fourth camp at altitude of 8,000 meters on the south saddle between Everest and Lhotse: it's the final point before conquering the mountain peak (8848 meters).

In the distance far behind us we could see 7K peaks. But even at helicopter's maximum altitude we still felt like a tiny dragonfly in a gigantic gorge: we were surrounded by walls that were a few kilometers higher than our ultimate trajectory.

However, we didn't have time to enjoy the view. All our attention and remaining strength were spent handling photo equipment in conditions of the thin mountain air that made me suffer from altitude sickness bouts. Bright sunlight dazzled my eyes and made me push wrong buttons on the camera and menu settings became blurry. I won't be shy and tell you a real story: in between panorama shooting sessions I threw up on six-kilometers-height glaciers.

For the pilot Aaron Oberlander this flight was a serious test as well: he established his own high altitude record by exceeding the limit of 7000 meters set by the helicopter manufacturer, and all that time he spent in a company of a restless passenger who was opening helicopter door endless number of times.

Helicopter was constantly moving because it was impossible to hover at that altitude, and on top of everything I had to shoot spherical panoramas by a single camera.

All in all the entire flight was successful. The mountain accepted us and most importantly let us go home! There was only one single occasion when I became really scared: when a strong gust of wind shook our helicopter at the altitude of 7000 meters on the way back from the Valley of Silence and to the Khumbu Icefall.

We turned around to go home just on time. Looking back, I noticed solid clouds over the highest mountain in the world, and strong wind started blowing icy dust from the top. The mountain was closed for flights.

Next revitalizing stop was at the refuel spot where I laid my hands on the life-giving oxygen cylinder while pilot was filling up the tanks. A short healing moment of piece and we were on our way back. Another 6000 meters and we were looking at the mountain pass Changri-La; we flew into an equally impressive gorge of glacier Ngozumbo (one of the longest glacier in the central Himalayas), dominated by the walls of another 8K Cho Oyu (8201 m), and several lower peaks with difficult to pronounce Tibetan names.

It was much easier and safer to work at lower altitudes.

On the way back we flew over high mountain lakes of Gokio that were rarely seen by tourists. I couldn't help but notice the beauty of emerald water that could be noticed even through a thick winter ice. These aerial photos were extremely useful later on and allowed me to make a walking route leading to one of valley's lakes (nameless lake # 8), virtually unnoticeable from the satellite images. But that's another story.

And now I would like to show you the highest-altitude spherical panoramas in the history of photography (taken from a helicopter) and featuring the highest mountain on the planet!
From the Editor:
I must mention that what Ivan said is not entirely true. At present our weather balloon flew a little bit higher than him and took pictures of Earth from the altitude of 35 kilometers. However, those pictures were made by "simple" cameras, not professional ones.

Photo and text by Ivan Roslyakov

20 March 2013

Apart from the " and read current virtual tour you can see another one " Everest, Himalayas, Nepal, Part I, January 2012 article about the trip.

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Everest, Himalayas, Nepal, Part II, December 2012

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Nepal is lucky to have so many extraordinary landmarks. Not only that Nepal is known as the birthplace of Buddha, it also has the majority of highest mountains in the world: 8 out of 14 8K Peaks are located here. Among them is Mount Everest, the highest mountain on planet Earth...

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Volcán Paricutín: Vuelo autónomo @250mts UAV

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It's very convenient to fly over Rio by helicopter.

Unlike most of other big cities of the world, where there are many restrictions and often special flight permissions are needed, in Rio de Janeiro you can fly almost everywhere and at any flight-level, surely, satisfying safety requirements and common sense. The crucial thing is don't make obstacles for the Boeings flying up from the neighboring airport. Also, it's sometimes forbidden to come closely and make photos of naval ships standing at the port.

The pilot was very cheerful; he put the music in my head-set, told me anecdotes, spun and revolved and, in general, executed all my photo-wishes.

However, several times during the hour, when I asked the helicopter to hover in the air and shot the panoramas, the pilot worried and said hard that it wasn't possible to stay long there and we had to fly away very soon.

After we had landed I asked the pilot why he hadn't allowed me to make photos in some places and had flown away, although in other places the helicopter could hover in the air for 5 or 10 minutes.

The pilot answered that he doesn't like the helicopter to hover in the air over favellas (favellas are poor districts of the city) because it's more easier to hit unmoved target with an automatic weapon than the moving one, and he wouldn't like to come back to the base with the hole in the cabin, especially, after one police helicopter has recently been hit in the air.

That is the life in Rio de Janeiro...

And you can see the panoramas which I shot there.

February 2008

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south america
ultra high resolution panoramas

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It's very convenient to fly over Rio by helicopter. Unlike most of other big cities of the world, where there are many restrictions and often special flight permissions are needed, in Rio de Janeiro you can fly almost everywhere and at any flight-level, surely, satisfying safety requirements and common sense.

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360° Victoria Falls - The Canyons Below | National Geographic

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While nothing is as exciting as an evening of chasing the northern lights in person, we believe that we may have found the next best thing - watching the lights in virtual reality (VR)!

The first video captures a typical day in Lapland: We start at the world famous Icehotel before traveling north to the shoreline of Lake Torneträsk where we watch the waves gently roll in. We then head south to Rautas to spend a few minutes with a herd of reindeer before hoping on a sled and moving through pure Arctic Wilderness. Finally, we head back to Abisko and visit the Sami hut at the STF. After a long day of exploring we finally get to see what we were all waiting for: the northern lights dancing in the sky above Abisko National Park, Sweden. We also have two other videos: The first is a VR dog sledding adventure and finally, we get to play with a group of puppies!

We have also created several other VR tours including a trip to the world-famous Aurora Sky Station, a hike down the Kungsleden, a trip to the original Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden and many more.

We are currently working on several new VR film projects including more aurora footage and lots of other exciting adventures. In the meantime, take a look at all of our most recent footage below:

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Virtual Aurora Tours - Lights over Lapland AB

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While nothing is as exciting as an evening of chasing the northern lights in person, we believe that we may have found the next best thing - watching the lights in virtual reality (VR)!

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The Grand Canyon Virtual Tour - 360 Virtual Tour Co.

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Visit the Grand Canyon Virtual Tour with the family and experience one of Earths most popular Nature Reserves directly from your own comforts.