PACARAIMA MOUNTAINS

also spelled Pakaraima, Portuguese Serra Pacaraim, Spanish Sierra Pacaraima, also called (in Guyana) Pakaraima Mountains, central tabular upland of the Guiana Highlands in Brazil, Venezuela, and Guyana. The Pacaraima Mountains form the drainage divide between the Orinoco Valley to the north and the Amazon Basin to the south. Extending for 250 mi (400 km) in an eastwest direction, the mountains mark the borders between Brazil and southeastern Venezuela and between Brazil and west central Guyana. Mount Roraima (9,094 ft ) is highest in elevation. The rivers that rise on the plateau tops pour over the cliffed edges in spectacular waterfalls, such as the Kaieteur Falls in Guyana.