No. 1.137 of 1 October 1975. National park objectives are stated in the 1983 Organic Law of Territorial Planning as natural areas unaffected by human disturbance where recreation, educational activities and research are encouraged. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994. It comprises Precambrian rocks which have been subjected to 600 million years of erosion to form a spectacular landscape. The summits reach 1000-2000m above the surrounding plateau and their surfaces are often scarred by gullies, canyons and sinkholes of several hundred metres depth.
Water drains from the flat summits forming hundreds of waterfalls.
Precipitation varies greatly depending on local orographic features though mean annual rainfall is 2600mm. Savannas can be divided into two types. Forests are only found along rivers, in damp depressions and on the lower slopes and gullies of the tepuis. Tepui vegetation is characterized by endemic species and carnivorous plants, for example Heliamphora spp. The Canaima national park contains an estimated 3000-5000 species of phanerogams and ferns.