![Salto del Angel-Canaima-Venezuela08](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Salto_del_Angel-Canaima-Venezuela08.JPG)
Canaima National Park ( es, Parque Nacional Canaima) is a park in south-eastern
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
that roughly occupies the same area as the
Gran Sabana
La Gran Sabana (, en, The Great Savanna) is a region in southeastern Venezuela, part of the Guianan savanna ecoregion.
The savanna spreads into the regions of the Guiana Highlands and south-east into Bolívar State, extending further to the b ...
region. It is located in
Bolívar State, reaching the borders with
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Guyana.
History
Canaima National Park was established on 12 June 1962.
As early as 1990, the countries that participate in the Amazonian Cooperation Treaty had recommended expanding the Canaima National Park southward to connect it with
Monte Roraima National Park
Mount Roraima National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional do Monte Roraima) is a national park in the state of Roraima, northern Brazil.
It includes the Brazilian section of Mount Roraima, and other mountains along the borders with Venezuela and Guyan ...
in Brazil, with coordinated management of tourism, research and conservation.
In 1994, the Canaima National Park was named a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
.
Location
Canaima National Park is the second largest park in Venezuela, after
Parima-Tapirapecó, and sixth biggest national park in the world. It is roughly the same size as Belgium or Maryland. The park protects part of the
Guayanan Highlands moist forests
The Guayanan Highlands moist forests (NT0124) is an ecoregion in the south of Venezuela and the north of Brazil and in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana. It is in the Amazon biome.
It encompasses an upland region with diverse fauna and flora, which ...
ecoregion.
About 65% of the park is occupied by plateaus of rock called
tepui
A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran S ...
s, which are a kind of table-top mountain millions of years old, with vertical walls and almost flat tops. These constitute a unique biological environment and are also of great geological interest. Their sheer cliffs and waterfalls including
Angel Falls
Angel Falls ( es, Salto Ángel; Pemon language: ''Kerepakupai Merú'' meaning "waterfall of the deepest place", or ''Parakupá Vená'', meaning "the fall from the highest point") is a waterfall in Venezuela.
It is the world's tallest unint ...
, which is the highest waterfall in the world, at create spectacular landscapes.
The most famous tepuis in the park are
Mount Roraima, the tallest and easiest to climb, and
Auyantepui, the site of Angel Falls. The tepuis are sandstone and date back to a time when South America and Africa were part of a super-continent.
The park is home to indigenous
Pemon
The Pemon or Pemón (Pemong) are indigenous people living in areas of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana.See pp.112,113 and 178 of ''Venezuela: the Pemon'', in ''Condé Nast Traveler'', December 2008. They are also known as Arecuna, Aricuna Jaricuna, ...
Indians, part of the
Carib linguistic group. The Pemon have an intimate relationship with the tepuis, and believe they are the home of the 'Mawari' spirits. The park is relatively remote, with only a few roads connecting towns. Most transport within the park is done by light plane from the airstrips built by various Capuchin missions, or by foot and canoe.
Fauna
Canaima has a varied fauna, which is distributed throughout the park according to multiple environmental factors such as altitude and vegetation type. Among the species found are:
*
Giant armadillo (''Priodontes maximus'')
*
Giant otter
The giant otter or giant river otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'') is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to . Atypical of muste ...
(''Pteronura brasiliensis'')
*
Giant anteater
The giant anteater (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'') is an insectivorous mammal native to Central and South America. It is one of four living species of anteaters, of which it is the largest member. The only extant member of the genus ''Myrmecophag ...
(''Myrmecophaga tridactyla'')
*
Cougar (''Puma concolor'')
*
Jaguar (''Panthera onca'')
*
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth (''Choloepus didactylus''), also known as the southern two-toed sloth, unau, or Linne's two-toed sloth is a species of sloth from South America, found in Venezuela, the Guyanas, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil north ...
(''Choloepus didactylus'')
*
White-faced saki
The white-faced saki (''Pithecia pithecia''), called the Guianan saki and the golden-faced saki, is a species of the New World saki monkey. They can be found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela. This species lives in the und ...
(''Pithecia pithecia'')
*
Brown-backed bearded saki (''Chiropotes israelita'')
*
Roraima mouse
The Roraima mouse (''Podoxymys roraimae'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae
The Cricetidae are a family of rodents in the large and complex superfamily Muroidea. It includes true hamsters, voles, lemmings, muskrats, and New ...
(''Podoxymys roraimae'')
*
Tyleria mouse opossum
Tyler's mouse opossum (''Marmosa tyleriana'') is a South American marsupial of the family Didelphidae. It lives in rainforests of the Guiana Highlands of southern Venezuela at elevations between 1300 and 2200 m. The species has only been found ...
(''Marmosa tyleriana'')
*
Harpy eagle
The harpy eagle (''Harpia harpyja'') is a neotropical species of eagle. It is also called the American harpy eagle to distinguish it from the Papuan eagle, which is sometimes known as the New Guinea harpy eagle or Papuan harpy eagle. It is the ...
(''Harpia harpyja'')
*
Red-shouldered macaw
The red-shouldered macaw (''Diopsittaca nobilis'') is a small green South American parrot, a member of a large group of Neotropical parrots called macaws. The species is named for the red coverts on its wings. It is the smallest macaw, being i ...
(''Diopsittaca nobilis'')
*
Dusky parrot
The dusky parrot (''Pionus fuscus'') or dusky pionus is a medium-sized mainly dark brownish-gray parrot of the genus '' Pionus'' in the true parrot family.
Description
The dusky parrot is approximately long. It has a medium-wide gray eye-ring ( ...
(''Pionus fuscus'')
*
Yellow-banded poison dart frog (''Dendrobates leucomelas'')
*
Green iguana (''Iguana iguana'')
*
Hummingbirds (Trochilinae)
*
Toucan
Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five g ...
s (Ramphastidae)
*
South American bushmaster
''Lachesis muta'', also known as the Southern American bushmaster or Atlantic bushmaster, is a venomous pit viper species found in South America, as well as the island of Trinidad in the Caribbean. Two subspecies are currently recognized, includi ...
(''Lachesis muta'')
*
Green acouchi
The green acouchi (''Myoprocta pratti'') is a species of rodent in the acouchi genus, part of the family Dasyproctidae. It is found in western Amazon biome, Amazonia, west of the Rios Rio Negro (Amazon), Negro and Madeira River, Madeira, in north ...
(''Myoprocta pratti'')
*
Bush dog
The bush dog (''Speothos venaticus'') is a canine found in Central and South America. In spite of its extensive range, it is very rare in most areas except in Suriname, Guyana and Peru; it was first identified by Peter Wilhelm Lund from fossi ...
(''Speothos venaticus'')
Flora
There are over 300 species endemic only in
La Gran Sabana
La Gran Sabana (, en, The Great Savanna) is a region in southeastern Venezuela, part of the Guianan savanna ecoregion.
The savanna spreads into the regions of the Guiana Highlands and south-east into Bolívar State, extending further to the b ...
.
* Endemic genera: ''
Achnopogon
''Achnopogon'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, described as a genus in 1957.
The entire genus is endemic to Venezuela.
; Species
* '' Achnopogon steyermarkii'' Aristeg. - State of Bolívar in southeastern Venezuela
* ' ...
'', ''
Chimantaea'', ''
Quelchia'', ''
Tepuia
''Tepuia'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Ericaceae
The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The fa ...
'', ''
Mallophyton
''Mallophyton'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Melastomataceae
Melastomataceae is a family of dicotyledonous flowering plants found mostly in the tropics (two-thirds of the genera are from the New World tropics) compri ...
'', ''
Adenanthe''.
* Abundant insectivorous species from the genera: ''
Brocchinia
''Brocchinia'' is a genus of the botanical family Bromeliaceae, and is the sole genus of the subfamily Brocchinioideae, containing 20 species. The genus is named for Giovanni Battista Brocchi, Italian naturalist (1772–1826). ''Brocchinia'' sp ...
'', ''
Drosera
''Drosera'', which is commonly known as the sundews, is one of the largest genera of carnivorous plants, with at least 194 species. 2 volumes. These members of the family Droseraceae lure, capture, and digest insects using stalked mucilaginou ...
'', ''
Heliamphora
The genus ''Heliamphora'' ( or ; Greek: ''helos'' "marsh" and ''amphoreus'' " amphora") contains 23 species of pitcher plants endemic to South America.McPherson, S., A. Wistuba, A. Fleischmann & J. Nerz 2011. '' Sarraceniaceae of South America''. ...
'', ''
Genlisea
''Genlisea'' ( ) is a genus of carnivorous plants also known as corkscrew plants. The 30 or so species grow in wet terrestrial to semi-aquatic environments distributed throughout Africa and Central and South America. The plants use highly modifi ...
'' and ''
Utricularia
''Utricularia'', commonly and collectively called the bladderworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants consisting of approximately 233 species (precise counts differ based on classification opinions; a 2001 publication lists 215 species).Salmon, Br ...
''.
Hydrography
The park includes the entire watershed of the right bank of the
Caroní River
The Caroní River is the second most important river of Venezuela, the second in flow, and one of the longest, from the Kukenan tepui through to its confluence with the Orinoco River. The name "Caroní" is applied starting from the confluence ...
and two of the highest waterfalls in the world, the Angel Falls and the Kukenán, as well as plenty of waterfalls of lower altitude.
Land forms
![Salto Angel - Cañon del Diablo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Salto_Angel_-_Ca%C3%B1on_del_Diablo.JPG)
The only land form are the
tepui
A tepui , or tepuy (), is a table-top mountain or mesa found in South America, especially in Venezuela and western Guyana. The word tepui means "house of the gods" in the native tongue of the Pemon, the indigenous people who inhabit the Gran S ...
s, that are plateaus which are unique features, among which are its vertical and nearly flat tops, although there are several tepuies that do not meet these rules. Geologically are remnants of a sedimentary cover composed of very ancient sandstone that is superimposed on a base of igneous rocks (mainly granite) that is even older (nearly 3 billion years). On its summit is home to a very substantial amount of very specific endemic species, both plant and animal. Some endemic plant species are categorized as "carnivorous", which are thus the food supply (mainly insects) that are so scarce in the mountains. These have a geological formations ranging between 1.5 and 2 billion years, which makes them one of the oldest formations in the world. The best known tepuies are: the Auyantepuy (where it follows the Angel Falls), the Roraima, the Kukenan and the Chimantá among many others.
Tourist attractions
Western Sector
Eastern Sector
Canaima National Park is spread in south-eastern Venezuela along the border between Guyana and Brazil. The best-known feature of Canaima National Park is its characteristic flat-topped mountain formations known as 'tepuis' which cover roughly 65% of the park. The tepuis constitute a unique biogeological entity and are of great geological interest.
Popular culture
Canaima is the name given to the fictional Californian coastal town where the movie
Arachnophobia is supposed to take place.
Gallery
Image:Jaspe Completa.JPG, Jasper Creek
Image:Kukenan Tepuy at Sunset.jpg, Mount Roraima
Image:Termiteros Gran Sabana.jpg, La Gran Sabana
La Gran Sabana (, en, The Great Savanna) is a region in southeastern Venezuela, part of the Guianan savanna ecoregion.
The savanna spreads into the regions of the Guiana Highlands and south-east into Bolívar State, extending further to the b ...
Image:Salto Kamá 2.jpg, Kamá Falls
Image:Canaima (Fabrizio Morroia).jpg, Waterfalls of Canaima
Image:Kukenam-Tepui.jpg, Kukenan Tepui
Image:Laguna la Piscina.JPG, Pozo Azul
Image:Gran Sabana, Rio.JPG, River in the Gran Sabana
See also
*
La Gran Sabana
La Gran Sabana (, en, The Great Savanna) is a region in southeastern Venezuela, part of the Guianan savanna ecoregion.
The savanna spreads into the regions of the Guiana Highlands and south-east into Bolívar State, extending further to the b ...
References
External links
Official information about the Canaima National ParkOfficial UNESCO website entryVideo from Canaima National ParkCanaima National ParkProtected Planet Page for Canaima
{{Authority control
World Heritage Sites in Venezuela
Guianan savanna
Protected areas established in 1962
Geography of Bolívar (state)
1962 establishments in Venezuela