Famous Natural Landmarks: Mount Roraima

Monte Roraima is the mountain is the triple border point of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. It’s the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tepui plateau in South America. Mount Roraima also known as Tepuy Roraima and Cerro Roraima; Portuguese: Monte Roraima is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tepui plateaus in South America. First described by the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh during his expedition in 1595, its summit area is bounded on all sides by cliffs rising 1,300 ft. The mountain also serves as the triple border point of Venezuela (85% of its territory), Guyana (10%) and Brazil (5%).

Mount Roraima lies on the Guiana Shield in the southeastern corner of Venezuela's 12,000 sq miles Canaima National Park forming the highest peak of Guyana's Highland Range. The tabletop mountains of the park are considered some of the oldest geological formations on Earth, dating back to some two billion years ago in the Precambrian.

The highest point in Guyana and the highest point of the Brazilian state of Roraima lie on the plateau, but Venezuela and Brazil have higher mountains elsewhere. The triple border point is at 5°12′08″N 60°44′07″W, but the mountain's highest point is Maverick Rock, 9,219 feet, at the south end of the plateau and wholly within Venezuela.

Many of the species found on Roraima are unique to the tepui plateaus with 2 local endemic plants found on Roraima summit. Plants such as pitcher plants (Heliamphora), Campanula (a bellflower), and the rare Rapatea heather are commonly found on the escarpment and summit. It rains almost every day of the year. Almost the entire surface of the summit is bare sandstone, with only a few bushes (Bonnetia roraimœ) and algae present. Low scanty and bristling vegetation is also found in the small, sandy marshes that intersperse the rocky summit. Most of the nutrients that are present in the soil are washed away by torrents that cascade over the edge, forming some of the highest waterfalls in the world.

There are multiple examples of unique fauna atop Mount Roraima. Oreophrynella quelchii, commonly called the Roraima Bush Toad, is a diurnal toad usually found on open rock surfaces and shrubland. It is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae and breeds by direct development. The species is currently listed as vulnerable and there is a need for increased education among tourists to make them aware of the importance of not handling these animals in the wild. Close population monitoring is also required, particularly since this species is known only from a single location. The species is protected in Monumento Natural Los Tepuyes in Venezuela, and Parque Nacional Monte Roraima in Brazil.

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