Canaima National Park
| Canaima National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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Jasper´s Creek (Canaima National Park)
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| Location | Bolívar State, Venezuela |
| Coordinates | 6°10′N 62°30′W / 6.167°N 62.500°WCoordinates: 6°10′N 62°30′W / 6.167°N 62.500°W |
| Area | 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) |
| Established | June 12, 1962 |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | vii, viii, ix, x |
| Designated | 1994 (18th session) |
| Reference no. | 701 |
| State Party | Venezuela |
| Region | Latin America and the Caribbean |
Canaima National Park (Spanish: Parque Nacional Canaima) is a 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi) park in south-eastern Venezuela that roughly occupies the same area as the Gran Sabana region. It is located in Bolívar State, reaching the borders with Brazil and Guyana.
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 in Brazil, with coordinated management of tourism, research and conservation. In 1994, the Canaima National Park was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, as a natural reserve that has abrupt relief special and unique around the world, the tepuis.
Canaima National Park is the second largest park in Venezuela, after Parima-Tapirapecó, and sixth biggest national park in the world. It is the size of Belgium or Maryland.
About 65% of the park is occupied by plateaus of rock called tepuis, 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, which is the highest waterfall in the world, at 1,002 metres (3,287 ft)) 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 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. Pemons have developed some basic and luxurious camps, which are mainly visited by tourists from across the world.
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Wikipedia