This week, we have…

• A fun fact inspired by Globle

• Answers to last week's games

• Reader survey

Montenegro has Europe’s grandest canyon

Nestled in the Balkan Peninsula's country of Montenegro (Globle answer for April 16) lies Europe's deepest canyon. The Tara Canyon reaches an impressive depth of 1,300 metres (second only to the Grand Canyon worldwide) and was formed by the Tara River hollowing out a rocky bed for itself over millennia. This natural wonder stretches for 90 navigable kilometres through the landscape of Montenegro, whose name "Crna Gora" means 'black mountain' in the local language.

The canyon contains 80 caves, many of which have never been explored, with some housing evidence of prehistoric human habitation. Adventure seekers can raft down the river on canoes, kayaks, rubber boats, and even wooden rafts! But caution is advised - even in the warmest season, the river's temperature averages a chilly 7-10° Celsius. The river has hosted prestigious events like the World Rafting Championship and the Rafting World Cup, and even served as a filming location for Harrison Ford's movie Force 10 from Navarone. Perhaps most remarkably, the river's water is clean and drinkable, making it Europe's largest clean drinking water reservoir.

Protected by UNESCO, Tara Canyon is cherished for its opulent vegetation and wildlife, standing as the crown jewel in a country that, despite its small size of 630,000 inhabitants, is home to numerous natural wonders - from the Bay of Kotor (the world's southernmost fjord) to the resilient Ramonda serbica plant, which can resurrect itself from a completely dried state when watered. And of course, Montenegro is home to the mountains it derives its name from, which were once covered in dense forests of black pines.

Learn more: National Geographic, Britannica, Highlander Tim, Rafting Tara, UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Trivia

Answers to last week's games

Monday, April 14 to Sunday, April 20.

Linxicon

The following are the shortest paths from last week:

• #426 explanation → question → people → villagers → village

• #427 concert → performer → guy → man

• #428 special → unusual → bothersome → bother

• #429 publication → paper → paperweight → weigh

• #430 virus → medicine → pizza → prime

• #431 cabin → classroom → teach → learn

• #432 minister → ministers → people → peoples → some

• #433 Play now!

Elemingle

• #82 Iron

• #83 Actinium

• #84 Rhenium

• #85 Krypton

• #86 Protactinium

• #87 Beryllium

• #88 Dysprosium

• #89 Play now!

Forgeous

Play Forgeous for Apr 21