Angel Falls is generally recognized as the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall.
Angel Falls drops 979 metres from the Auyán-tepui plateau in Venezuela’s Canaima National Park. Its longest uninterrupted plunge is about 807 metres, a measurement that explains why references sometimes distinguish total height from uninterrupted drop. The water falls from a flat-topped tepui, a distinctive South American sandstone landform.
The waterfall is named after Jimmie Angel, a United States aviator who flew over it in 1933. Indigenous Pemon people have their own longstanding relationship with the landscape, and the waterfall is known locally as Kerepakupai Merú. The Venezuelan government officially restored that Indigenous name in many contexts.
Angel Falls is remote and is commonly reached by river and trail rather than by road. Its appearance changes seasonally: during drier periods, wind can disperse much of the falling water into mist before it reaches the base.