Canaima National Park

1. Canaima National Park By: Katherine (Katie) Parker

2. Background Information • Canaima National Park or ParqueNacional Canaima in Spanish, is located in south-eastern Venezuela, which borders Brazil and Guyana. • It is located in the state of Bolívar in Venezuela. • It was established on June 12, 1962 with 2.5 million acres and now has 7.4 million acres. • It is the second-largest park in the country and is about the size of the state of Maryland. • It is home to the Pemon Indians who named the park and its meaning is “spirit of evil”.

3. Interesting Facts • Canaima National Park became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1994. • The park through its river system supplies most of Venezuela’s power. • The park is actually relatively remote with only a few roads. • Most transportation within the park is done by light plane, by foot or canoe. • The park has suffered from several wildfires.

4. Canaima Park in the Spotlight • The park was the inspiration for the novel “The Lost World” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. • The Oscar winning 2009 movie “Avatar” was filmed in the park using Mount Roraime-the tallest in the park and has a “tabletop” appearance.

5. Tourist Attractions • Some attractions for not only tourist but locals are: • Laguna de Canaima • Salto Hacha (waterfall) • Salto El Sapo (waterfall) • Carrao River • Mayupa rapids • Salto Yuri (waterfall) • Cucurital River jungle and grasslands • Isla de la Orquìdea (orchid Island) • Churún River • Angel Falls • Kavac • Kamarata • People are able to reach such destinations by air from four camps that also provide lodging and meals.

6. Angel Falls • Angel Falls or Salto Angel are home to this park which are the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. • The falls are named for an American flyer-Jimmy Angel as he was searching for gold and ended up discovering the magnificent falls. • The falls drop from the Devil’s Mountain into the Devil’s Canyon.

7. Mount Roraima • With it’s “tabletop” appearance and a staircase like ramp which takes you to its top, Mount Roraima was made famous by the novel “The Lost World”. • This unique mountain is on the list of many climbers and is regularly climbed. • It is the highest mountain in the region. • Here you can climb the highest “tepui” (flat-topped mountain edge) 9,219 feet. • The “Prow” of Roraima wasn’t climbed until 1973. • Many unique and wild species can be found in this beautiful area.

8. The Pemon Indians • The Pemon people named Canaima “spirit of evil” and are the main inhabitants of the park. • The Indians do not believe in a natural death but instead create a symbolic character to describe their disappearance from the world. In this case the Pemon’s character is Canaima. • “If an Indian has pneumonia, they say that Canaima has blown on his chest.” • They believe that they have a relationship with the tepuis(table-top mountains). • The Pemon language is spoken by 5,000 people and has two dialects-Taurepan and Arecuna. • They have developed some hotel locations which are visited by many Europeans.

9. Wild & Plant Life • In Canaima Park has such wildlife as the puma, three-toed sloth and night monkey. • The park also has many birds such as the Blue-cheeked Parrot. • Plant life includes forests and grasslands which are the most common. • The jungles and forests of the park contain many heterogeneous flowers. • Many of the plants that grow on top of the table-top mountains are found no where else on the planet.

10. Climate & Geology • Most of the park falls under of the Equatorial Climate with sunshine and much rainfall. • The dry season lasts from January to March and the rainy season is from April to December. • Zero degrees centigrade has been registered on the top of some of the tepuys. • Here at Canaima Park the most ancient rock formations in the world’s geochronology are located. • The rock formations belong to the Guayana Shield and are assumed to have been formed between 1.5 million and 2 million years ago.

11. Its Role • Canaima National Park houses and protects the populations of five endangered mammal species. • Nearly half of the neotropical migratory birds go to the park in the winter. • Canaima Park is a priority site for conservation. • Canaima protects about half of the Caroní River watershed which in turn fuels the Guri hydroelectric dam which powers Venezuela’s industry. • The park is more than just a beautiful destination to visit, but a safe haven for many animals and a home to many plant life. It’s also home to the unique Pemon people and the world’s biggest waterfall.

12. Works Cited • http://iwannagothere.com/travel-guides/brazil/boa-vista/things-to-do/canima-national-park • http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Canaima_National_Park • http://www.condorjourneys-adventures.com/images/venezuela_map_canaimaexped.GIF • http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/southamerica/a/VenAngelCanaima.htm • http://www.oas.org/children/members/Photographs/Venez3.jpg • http://pixdaus.com/pics/12328116267MngNXK.jpg • http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/ • http://listverse.com/2009/12/18/10-unique-and-amazing-places-on-earth/ • http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/ic/blogs/preps/uploaded_images/1-762825.jpg • http://f.buy-ebook.com/covers/the-lost-world.jpg • http://vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=5841 • http://www.trueknowledge.com/q/5%2C000_hectares_in_acres • http://www.tripwolf.com/en/guide/show/288528/Venezuela/Mount-Roraima • http://www.tripwolf.com/en/guide/show/288528/Venezuela/Mount-Roraima • http://www.besthike.com/southamerica/venezuela/roraima.html • http://media.photobucket.com/image/pemon%20indians/oilwars/angel2.jpg • http://venezuelanindian.blogspot.com/2007/08/canaima-pemon-spirit-of-death.html • http://www.native-languages.org/pemon.htm • http://people.csail.mit.edu/amedina/canaima.html • http://i34.tinypic.com/6epwkp.jpg • http://lh4.ggpht.com/abramsv/SD-kYCFUa7I/AAAAAAAATNg/sSikHJddrLg/s640/2165546716_2b36693ace_b.jpg • http://www.nature.org/wherewework/southamerica/venezuela/work/art5336.html