Paradise Falls is not a real location, however it is based on the tepuis (a huge plateau or table top mountain) in Venezuela. Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world (3,212 feet) looks similar to the ficticuous Paradise Falls. Angel Falls was named for a man named Jimmy Angel, who went looking for the waterfall in an airplane. He crashed and he and his crew had to hike for 11 days before they were rescued. The tepui are protected inside of the Canaima National Park."When South America and Africa separated during the formation of the Atlantic Ocean some 180 million years ago, the entire region was uplifted for good and became what is known as the Guyana Highlands. However, under the stress of the uplift, the Pacaraima was broken up, and the forces of erosion began to take its toll on the exposed rock. Only the most-resistant columns of rock survived the onslaught of wind and water, leaving behind the distinctive sheer cliffs of sandstone rising from piles of eroded talus debris." (from The real world behind “Up's” Paradise Falls)
The Pixar team visited 3 of the most famous tepui and had a challenging hike up to the top of Mount Roraima, the tallest, and on the border of Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela. They went up a "ramp" but it was still a 7 hr hike. They got to the top and had hot soup and tents awaiting them. I think that would be nice to have at the end of a grueling hike!
Images from:
http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/willow/geography-of-venezuela0.gif
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/104/284515009_d3c27d46cc_b.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Mt_Roraima_in_Venezuela_001.JPG
http://www.carnaval.com/venezuela/guyana-highlands.jpg
http://z.about.com/d/gosouthamerica/1/0/8/l/parquesnacionales-mapam.JPG
http://science4grownups.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/up-tepui-landing-paradise-falls.jpg
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