Tepui

mountains · South America · geology · unique ecosystems

Flat-topped giants. Tepuis are table-top mountains found mainly in Venezuela, western Guyana, and northern Brazil. They look like massive stone platforms rising straight up from the land below.

Name means 'house of gods'. The word tepui comes from the Pemon people, who are indigenous to the Gran Sabana region. They gave these incredible mountains a name that shows how sacred and special these places were to them.

Found in South America. Tepuis are mostly located in northern South America, with the greatest concentration in Venezuela. These unique mountains are not found anywhere else on Earth.

Islands in the sky. Because tepuis rise so high and steeply, they create isolated ecosystems at the top that are cut off from the rest of the world. Plants and animals living on top of a tepui can be totally different from those at the bottom.

Ancient and weathered. Tepuis are among the oldest geological formations on Earth, shaped over millions of years by wind, rain, and erosion. Their flat tops are the remains of a massive plateau that once covered the entire region.