People and Places^229
FIND OUT MORE. American Indians 408 • Earthquakes 43
CAN YOU SEE THE GRAND CANYON FROM SPACE?
The Grand Canyon is the largest land gorge on Earth,
and is easily visible from Space. The canyon runs
through northern Arizona and is more than 1.6 km
(1 mile) deep and 446 km (277 miles) long. It was
formed by the Colorado River cutting through a rocky
plateau for over a million years, exposing at its lowest
point some of the oldest rocks in North America.MOUNT RUSHMORE 1
The faces of four great US
presidents gaze out from a
granite cliff on Mount Rushmore
in South Dakota. The four faces,
each about 18 m (60 ft) high,
were carved between 1927 and
1941 by 400 workers.George Washington Abraham
LincolnThomas
Jefferson
Theodore4 MONUMENT VALLEY Roosevelt
Millions of years of
erosion have created
the amazing cliffs and
rock pinnacles of
Monument Valley in
northern Arizona.
The area is a centre
of Navajo culture. It
has also starred as
the backdrop for
many films.
1 COWBOY RODEO
The vast cattle ranches that
stretch from Montana down to
Texas still need cowboys to watch
over their cattle, although today,
trucks and even helicopters are
used alongside horses. Traditional
cowboy skills are still celebrated
at rodeos and stampedes.WHAT IS DEATH VALLEY?
Sheltered by mountains from the Pacific coastline are
some of the driest, hottest regions of North America.
One of these, Death Valley in California, has very little
rainfall and temperatures that soar to 57°C (134°F). Its
landscape is bleak but magnificent, attracting tourists
to see its many canyons and strange rock formations.WHAT MAKES TEXAS RICH?
The wealth of Texas comes mainly from oil, which
was discovered there in 1901. As well as being the
second largest oil-producing state in the USA after
Alaska, Texas is rich in iron ore, magnesium, uranium,
and other minerals. Cattle ranching and cotton
farming also help make it one of the wealthier states.western
US