Paradise Falls South America: Pixar's Fictional Mountain in 'Up' Does Exist

Real places inspire some dream-like destinations depicted in animated films. Such was the case for Paradise Falls, depicted in the Pixar movie "Up."

Paradise Falls, South America

In the hit animated film "Up," the main character, elderly Carl, decides to leave the busy city after he is sentenced to live out his golden years at the Shady Oaks retirement home. He tied thousands of helium balloons to his house, hoping to land in his dream destination - Paradise Falls.

Yes, Paradise Falls is fictional. However, a similar mountain exists in South America - Mount Roraima. The mountain, which stands proudly on the borders of Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana, is reminiscent of the fictional place.

It earned the nickname "Floating Island" because of its uniqueness, leaving scientists dumbfounded as they still figure out its ecosystem.

The primary distinction between Roraima and other mountain ranges is that, upon initial observation, the former resembles a massive tabletop, with cliffs rising to around 400 meters (1,312 feet) on all four sides.

The entire plateau has the illusion of having abruptly emerged from the Earth, akin to a peculiar biome from Minecraft, due to the cliffs that plunge into the distance. These strange-looking geological structures, called tepuis, are among the world's oldest plateaus.

In addition to having an unearthly look, tepuis like Mount Roraima originate in a different way than conventional mountains, the majority of which are the product of two continental plates colliding.

According to researchers, tepuis began to form some 2 billion years ago, as sand settled and turned into rock at the bottom of ancient oceans. Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old, and Mount Everest originated only 60 million years ago. This suggests that tepuis is ancient.

About Mount Roraima

Mount Roraima is a massive, level-topped mountain or mesa. It sits in the Guiana Highlands' Pakaraima Mountains, where Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil meet. At 9,094 feet (2,772 meters) high and around 9 miles (14 km) in length, it is the source of numerous rivers in Guyana and the Amazon and Orinoco river systems. Mount Roraima is Guyana's highest point.

Roraima's peak is mostly sandstone, with only a few scattered plants for flora. Bellflower, Rapatea heather, pitcher plants, and other unusual plant species can be found on the plateau because of its location.

Because of the plateau's topography and constant high rainfall, the summit is home to sporadic waterfalls at different points throughout the year.

Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world, is situated on a comparable table-top mountain some 130 miles away. It is part of the same national park.

The English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh initially wrote about the formation in 1596 on his trip to Guyana to pursue the fabled "golden city" of El Dorado. Unfortunately, Raleigh could not ascend it since there was no accessible route to the peak.

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