Valleys

A valley is a low area of land between hills or mountains. Many valleys have rivers running through them. Valleys can be wide and flat or narrow and steep. People have lived in valleys for thousands of years because the land is good for farming.

How Valleys Form

Rivers carve V-shaped valleys over a long time. The water wears away rock and soil as it flows downhill. Glaciers, which are huge sheets of ice, carve U-shaped valleys. The heavy ice pushes and scrapes the land as it moves slowly forward.

Famous Valleys

The Great Rift Valley in Africa stretches for thousands of miles. Yosemite Valley in California was carved by glaciers long ago. The Napa Valley in California is famous for its farms and vineyards. The Valley of the Kings in Egypt holds ancient tombs.

Fun Facts

• The deepest valley on Earth is the Kali Gandaki Gorge in Nepal.
• Some valleys are called glens, dales, or hollows.
• Many of the world's biggest cities sit in valleys.

Did You Know?

The Central Valley in California grows more than half of the fruits and vegetables eaten in the United States!