Largest Canyons in the World

Determining the “largest” canyon in the world is a classic geographic challenge because it depends entirely on whether you measure by maximum depth, total length, or overall volume. For example, while Arizona’s Grand Canyon is unmatched in its sheer, continuous volumetric scale, it is nowhere near the deepest.

Here is the data separated into three distinct ranking metrics: 1) maximum vertical depth, 2) continuous linear length, and 3) estimated total volume.

Canyons Ranked by Maximum Depth

Measured by the maximum vertical drop from the highest surrounding rim/peaks down to the river surface.

Rank	Canyon Name	Location	Max Depth (ft)	Max Depth (m)
1	Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon	Tibet, China	19,714	6,009
2	Kali Gandaki Gorge	Nepal	19,000+	5,790+
3	Cotahuasi Canyon	Peru	11,595	3,535
4	Colca Canyon	Peru	10,730	3,270
5	Tiger Leaping Gorge	Yunnan, China	12,434	3,790

Canyons Ranked by Continuous Length

Measured by the total continuous linear distance of the primary chasm or interconnected gorge network.

Rank	Canyon Name	Location	Length (miles)	Length (km)	Geological Context
1	Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon	Tibet, China	314	505	Carved by the Yarlung Tsangpo River as it loops around the massive Namcha Barwa peak in the eastern Himalayas.
2	Grand Canyon	Arizona, USA	277	446	A continuous, unbroken gorge carved by the Colorado River cutting through the horizontal layers of the Kaibab Plateau.
3	Hells Canyon	Oregon / Idaho, USA	125	201	Carved by the Snake River, creating a vast border shield that is also North America’s deepest river gorge.
4	Fish River Canyon	Southern Namibia	100	160	Africa’s longest canyon, featuring an immense, dry interior structural fracture line.
5	Tara River Canyon	Montenegro / Bosnia	51	82	The longest overland canyon in Europe, carving deep limestone trenches through Durmitor National Park.

Canyons Ranked by Total Volume

Ranked by total carved atmospheric space, requiring a combination of massive width, sustained depth, and immense length.

Rank	Canyon / Network System	Location	Primary Volumetric Advantage
1	Grand Canyon	Arizona, USA	Unmatched broad, horizontal step-basins reaching up to 18 miles wide across 277 miles of length.
2	Copper Canyon Network	Chihuahua, Mexico	A combined system of six massive individual river gorges that altogether cover an immense footprint.
3	Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon	Tibet, China	While narrower at the bottom, its unparalleled multi-mile vertical drop creates huge total void space.
4	Capertee Valley	New South Wales, Australia	The widest canyon in the world by single-basin width, edging out the Grand Canyon in purely horizontal span.
5	Fish River Canyon	Namibia	Features a uniquely vast, flat outer-canyon floor that opens up an immense sub-arid valley structure.