tagged w/ Angel Falls
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It was on 16 November, 1933 that these magnificent falls where chanced upon by the American aviator Jimmie Angle while on his search for a valuable ore bed. He returned on October 9, 1937 with his wife and two other companions, but the plane was damaged while he tried to land atop Auyantepui. Eventually, it took them 11 days by foot to descend the Tepui. This news spread and the falls came to be known as Angel Falls in his honour.It was on 16 November, 1933 that these magnificent falls where chanced upon by the... more
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has called for the world's highest waterfall, Angel Falls, to be given back its indigenous name.
The falls, which drop nearly 1km (0.6 miles) from a flat-topped mountain in the south of Venezuela, are currently named after a 1930s US aviator.
Jimmy Angel is believed to have been the first outsider to see them.
Mr Chavez said they should be called Kerepakupai-Meru, the name used by the indigenous Pemon people of the area.
Mr Chavez, who accuses the US of plotting against his country, said that thousands of indigenous people had seen the falls before Jimmy Angel "discovered" them.
Angel Falls at least partially inspired Paradise Falls, the fantasy Latin American waterfall in the recent Disney/Pixar animated film Up.Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has called for the world's highest waterfall,... more
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The world's tallest waterfall -- Angel Falls in southern Venezuela -- should be stripped of the name by which it is widely known in favor of its indigenous one, President Hugo Chavez said.
The falls, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, were spotted by US pilot Jimmy Angel in 1937, bringing international attention to what has become one of Venezuela's top tourist attractions, though it is in remote Bolivar state.
"How could we accept this idea that the falls were discovered by a guy who came from the United States in a plane. If we do that, that would be like accepting that nobody was living here," Chavez mused on his weekly radio and television show, "Hello Mr President."
"Nobody should speak of Angel Falls any more," Chavez said. "That is ours, and was a long time before Angel ever got there."
In indigenous Pemon, the falls are called Kerepakupai meru, meaning "waterfall of the deepest place."
Chavez is a fan of name changes.
After he came to power in 1999, the firebrand leftist leader changed his own country's name, from just plain Venezuela to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. That move was to pay homage to independence fighter Simon Bolivar.
He then renamed a mountain in Caracas -- previously known as Cerro Avila -- with its indigenous name, Guaraira Repano.The world's tallest waterfall -- Angel Falls in southern Venezuela -- should be... more
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A British boy, named 6-year-old Thomas Horne, was killed in a plane crash in Canaima, Venezuela. 8 others survived with injuries.
The plane Cessna 208 Caravan was travelling to Angel Falls, a popular destination for tourist Friday until it crashed near a runway. Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the crash.A British boy, named 6-year-old Thomas Horne, was killed in a plane crash in Canaima,... more
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Mother Nature's creations inspire awe and humility in all who witness her greatest wonders.
Mother Nature is a powerful and awesome force. Here are some examples of her most spectacular creations.
Mother Nature's creations inspire awe and humility in all who witness her... more
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