Grand Canyon National Park
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Grand Canyon |
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| Designation |
National Park |
| Location |
North West Arizona, United States |
| Nearest City |
Flagstaff, Arizona |
| Latitude |
36° 12' N |
| Longitude |
113° 14' W |
| Area |
1,217,403 acres (4,927 km²) |
| Date of Establishment |
January 11, 1908 (National Monument), February 26, 1919 (National Park) |
| Visitation |
3,936,823 (2002) |
| Governing Body |
National Park Service |
| IUCN category |
II (National Park) |
The Grand Canyon National Park is one of the oldest National Parks in the United States. 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 area around the Grand Canyon became a United States 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; it was motivated in part by the flooding of what was considered an even more impressive gorge to create Glen Canyon Dam.
Geology
Main article: Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon National Park contains the largest valley system in the world, created by erosion from the Colorado River.
