Record #00146Nature archive
Angel Falls (Kerepakupai Merú) in Venezuela's Canaima National Park has a total drop of 979 metres and is the world's highest above-ground waterfall.
Current Record
979m
Current record value
Angel Falls lies in Canaima National Park in Bolívar state, south-eastern Venezuela, plunging from the edge of the flat-topped Auyán-tepui, which gives the falls its indigenous Pemón name Kerepakupai Merú.
Besides the 979 m total drop, its longest single unbroken fall is 807 m, which Guinness World Records also lists as a separate record.
The falls became known to the wider world after being surveyed by a National Geographic expedition in 1949; some debate now surrounds whether the full 979 m should be attributed to a single waterfall, since measuring only the initial 807 m drop would make Tugela Falls in South Africa (948 m) the world's tallest.
The record conclusion has sufficient verification support.
Basis: direct confirmation by an authority
Existing verification remains; this edit changes summary wording only.
Current Entry identifies the current entry in this archive; it does not establish that the record is still held today.
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