The Comparison That Clarifies Everything

To understand just how unusual Roraima and the tepuis are in global context, consider how they compare to other famous plateau mountains and table mountains around the world.

Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, is perhaps the most famous flat-topped mountain other than the tepuis.

It is also a remnant of ancient, resistant rock — sandstone and granite — standing above eroded surroundings.

But Table Mountain’s summit is a small fraction of Roraima’s area, its geological history is different, and its biological situation, while interesting, does not approach the degree of endemism and evolutionary isolation that characterizes the tepuis.