Which canyon in Namibia is the second largest canyon on Earth?

Which canyon in Namibia is the second largest canyon on Earth? Fish River Canyon is the standard answer. It is widely described as the world’s second-largest canyon after the Grand Canyon and is the largest canyon in Africa.

Located in southern Namibia, the canyon stretches for about 160 kilometres, reaches roughly 27 kilometres in width, and descends nearly 550 metres at its deepest point. The Fish River, Namibia’s longest interior river, flows intermittently through the gorge, often shrinking to a chain of pools during the dry season.

Its landscape records a very long geological history. Ancient faulting helped establish the river’s route, later glaciation deepened the valley, and uplift after the breakup of Gondwana increased the river’s erosive power. The canyon cuts through exceptionally old rocks, including hard gneiss.

A common mix-up is to confuse it with Namibia’s Fish River itself or with South Africa’s Blyde River Canyon. “Second largest” is a conventional comparison based on overall canyon scale; rankings can vary when different measurements are used.