fbpx

KidsKonnect

Angel Falls Facts & Worksheets

Angel Falls is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. It is located in Venezuela.

Search for Worksheets

Worksheets /Social Studies /Geography /Landmarks & Sights /Angel Falls Facts & Worksheets
Premium
Angel Falls Worksheets
Not ready to purchase a subscription? Click to download the free sample version   Download sample

Angel Falls is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. It is located in Venezuela. The waterfall is 979 meters high and its plunge is 807 meters. In Spanish, Angel Falls is called Salto Ángel. The waterfall flows into the Churun River.

See the fact file below for more information on the Angel Falls or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Angel Falls worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

ETYMOLOGY

  • In Pemon Language, an indigenous language spoken by Pemon People, Angel Falls is called Kerepakupai Meru which means “waterfall of the deepest place.”
  • The falls has another name in the Pemon language, Parakupá Vená, which means “the fall from the highest point.”
  • Angel Falls has been called by its current name since the mid-20th century.
  • Angel Falls was named after the person who made a historical achievement in the field of aviation in relation with the falls: Jimmie Angel.
  • Jimmie Angel was a US aviator and was the first person to fly over the falls.
  • On July 2, 1960, almost four years after he died on December 8, 1956, Jimmie Angel’s ashes were scattered over the falls.
  • The common Spanish name of Angel Falls, Salto Ángel, is a translation derived from his surname.
  • Regarding the use of its native name, it was in 2009, President Hugo Chávez publicly announced his intention to change the name to the allegedly original and indigenous Pemon term: “Kerepakupai Vená” meaning “waterfall of the deepest place.”
  • The intended change of name was according to a belief that Venezuela’s most famous landmark should be called with an indigenous name.
  • According to the reports, when president Chavez was asked to explain the intent of the name-change, he said “This is ours, long before Angel ever arrived there … this is indigenous land.”
  • However, Chavez later said that he would not legally decree the change of name and said that the intent was only to defend the use of Kerepakupai Vená.

GENERAL FACTS

  • Angel Falls is located in Auyán-tepui, Canaima National Park, Bolivar State, Venezuela.
  • Angel Falls is a plunge type waterfall. A plunge type waterfall is a fall with fast-moving water descending vertically. A plunge type waterfall, like the Angel Falls, starts from a narrow stream.
  • The descent of the water allows it to lose contact with the bedrock surface – it is lost due to horizontal velocity of the water before it falls.
  • Angel Falls, being the world’s highest uninterrupted waterfall, has a height of 979 meters or 3,212 feet, and a plunge of 807 meters or 2,648 feet.
  • Angel Falls plunges from the mountain of Auyán-Tepui in Bolivar state, Venezuela.
  • It is a tepui or tepuy; a mountain with a flat surface, also called a table-top mountain that is found Guiana Highlands of South America, especially in Venezuela and Guyana.
  • The word tepui means “house of the gods” in Pemon language.
  • Auyan-tepui is located in Canaima National Park, a 30,000 square kilometer park located in the south-eastern region of Venezuela occupying the same area as the Gran Sabana region, in Bolivar State.
  • Bolivar State is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. The state’s capital is Ciudad Bolivar and the largest city is Ciudad Guayana.

EXPLORATION OF THE ANGEL FALLS

  • Sir Walter Raleigh, an English writer, poet, politician, courtier, spy, and explorer, set an expedition to find the fabled city of El Dorado, a mythical empire, in the 16th Century.
  • Amidst his exploration, he described what was possibly a tepui, which is possibly the Auyan-tepui and he is believed to have been the first European to view Angel Falls. However, these claims are considered unconvincing, and has sparked critical debate.
  • Other historians claim that the first European to visit the waterfall was a Spanish explorer and governor from the 16th and 17th centuries named Fernando de Berrío.
  • Other historical sources claimed that the first European to see the waterfall was the Spanish explorer Fèlix Cardona in 1927.
  • The location of Angel Falls remained unfamiliar until the American Aviator, Jimmie Angel, flew over the waterfalls on 16 November 1933 as he was flying in search of a valuable ore bed.
  • Jimmie Angel found the falls by following the directions given by Felix Cardona.
  • Angel tried to land his Flamingo Monoplane named El Rio Caroni on the top of Auyan-tepui. Unfortunately, he failed to land it safely, as the plane was damaged when its wheels sank in the tepui’s marshy ground.
  • This unfortunate circumstance forced Angel to descend the tepui on foot. This took him 11 days. The story of his adventure became news that spread quickly, and so, the falls was named after him.
  • On May 13, 1949, journalist Ruth Robertson organized the quest to determine the official height of the falls.
  • Robertson’s expedition was also the first to reach the foot of the falls.

Angel Falls Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Angel Falls across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Angel Falls worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Angel Falls which is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world. It is located in Venezuela. The waterfall is 979 meters high and its plunge is 807 meters. In Spanish, Angel Falls is called Salto Ángel. The waterfall flows into the Churun River.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Angel Falls, Venezuela Facts
  • Legendary Pilot
  • What’s a Waterfall?
  • Falls or False
  • Very Venezuela
  • Exploration Timeline
  • Exploration Do’s and Don’ts
  • Tallest Waterfalls
  • Waterfall Types Crossword
  • My Angel Falls Painting
  • Angel Falls Acrostics

Link/cite this page

If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.

Link will appear as Angel Falls Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 25, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

Related Resources