Natural Regions of South America

The Altiplano is a high plateau region in west-central South America where the Andes are the widest. The bulk of the Altiplano-Puna plateau lies in Bolivia, its northern parts lie in Peru, and its southern parts lie in Chile and Argentina. The Altiplano Basin is a sedimentary basin located on the plateau.

The Amazon Rainforest is a biogeographical region in northern South America that occupies the Amazon Basin, a drainage basin of the Amazon River and its tributaries in northern South America. Sometimes called Amazônia, nine countries have some parts of the Amazon region within their borders.

The Andean Patagonian Forest spreads over steep elevations along a thin strip on both sides of the Andes Mountains in southern South America. These temperate forests in southern Chile and Argentina are the southernmost forests on earth.

The Atacama Desert is located in northern Chile between Argentina on the west and the Pacific Ocean on the east. Sparsely populated and containing considerable mineral resources, the Atacama Desert is one of the driest places in the world.

The Atlantic Forest, or Mata Atlântica, runs along the coast of eastern and southeastern Brazil, stretching inland into Argentina and Paraguay. Although only a very small part of the original forests remain, it is still one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet.

The Caatinga of Brazil is the largest dry forest region in South America and one of the world's richest dry forests, providing a habitat for an array of flora and fauna species. It is home to 26 million people and over 2,000 species of plants and animals.

The Cerrado is the largest savanna region in South America and the largest ecoregion in the Americas. It encompasses central Brazil as well as small portions of Paraguay and Bolivia. Biologically the richest savanna in the world, it contains extraordinary biodiversity.

The Chapada Diamantina is a region on the Atlantic Plateau in the Brazilian Highlands. Bounded by cliffs that form a watershed, it drains on one side into the São Francisco River and on the other into the De Contas and Paraguaçu rivers. Chapada Diamantina National Park protects it.

The Dry Chaco ecoregion, or Gran Chaco, is a sparsely populated, hot, semi-arid lowland alluvial plain of the Río de la Plata basin. It is divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion of Brazil. The Chaco contains South America's second-largest forest after the Amazon.