page_title: Gran Sabana
section_title: Santa Elena de Uairén
hierarchical_section_title: Gran Sabana / Ethnic groups / Towns and communities / Santa Elena de Uairén
caption_attribution_description: English: Santa Teresita de Kavanayén chapel in Kavanayen, Gran Sabana, Venezuela. Español: Capilla Santa Teresita de Kavanayén, en Kavanayén, Gran Sabana, Venezuela.
context_page_description: La Gran Sabana is a region in southeastern Venezuela, part of the Guianan savanna ecoregion.
  The savanna spreads into the regions of the Guiana Highlands and south-east into Bolívar State, extending further to the borders with Brazil and Guyana. The Gran Sabana has an area of 10,820 km² and is part of the second largest National Park in Venezuela, the Canaima National Park. Only Parima Tapirapecó National Park is larger than Canaima. The average temperature is around 20 °C, but at night can drop to 13 °C and in some of the more elevated sites, depending on weather, may drop a bit more.
  The location offers one of the most unusual landscapes in the world, with rivers, waterfalls and gorges, deep and vast valleys, impenetrable jungles and savannahs that host large numbers and varieties of plant species, a diverse fauna and the isolated table-top mesas locally known as tepuis.
context_section_description: As already mentioned, the main town is Santa Elena de Uairén, which is also the capital of the Gran Sabana Municipality. The city's name originated in the first daughter of the founder, Lucas Fernández Peña, called "Elena", and on the river that crosses the city, the "Uairén". It has an airport, a military post and is a free port from 1999, organized and founded by the son of the founder, Professor Héctor Fernández Espinoza. Its economy is based on trade and mining.
  Recently, the tourism sector has been an important development because of its proximity to the main natural features of the Gran Sabana and its location near the border. The city has had a rapid population growth during the last decade and it is estimated that by 2016 the population of the town will be around 55,000. Several hotels that are involved in tourism with limited resources are spread through the center of the city. The Hotel Gran Sabana is a luxury option, like the Hotel Anaconda. In the center of the city, tourists can find many shops where they can buy supplies for camping in the national park, from canned or fresh food, to spare normal camping equipment. Many are also the business of buying and selling gold in the village.
caption: Shrine of Santa Teresita de Kavanayén
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