The Editor

​The Sierra Madre de Chiapas is a major mountain range of Central America that runs parallel to the Pacific coast, from southern Mexico northwest-southeast across the southern half of Guatemala and into El Salvador and Honduras. It is a mostly crystalline range of block mountains with a degree of volcanic activity. ​

The Guaraní Aquifer System is a large underground groundwater reservoir and hydrogeological system. It is a transboundary aquifer, spread across four South American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Mesopotamia is a geographical region of Argentina, in the northeastern corner of the country, that features the spectacular Iguazú Falls. The Missionary Jungle hosts one of the most biologically important ecosystems in the world and it is also one of the most endangered rainforests.

The Beni River flows north through Bolivia after rising in the Andean slopes of the Cordillera Real. The Mamoré River is formed by numerous headwaters that drain the Llanos de Moxos. The two rivers join to form the Madeira River on the border with Brazil.

The Maipo Valley is one of Chile's most important wine-producing regions. Located at the very northern end of Chile's extensive Central Valley, the region extends eastwards from the city of Santiago, Chile's capital, to the Andes and westward toward the Pacific coast.

Cajón del Maipo is a canyon located in the Andean region of Santiago, Chile. The canyon valley is surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the region including the San José, Maipo and Marmolejo volcanos. The canyon is a popular tourist destination, especially for trekking.

Lake Maracaibo is a large brackish tidal estuary and an inlet of the Caribbean Sea. Variably considered a bay or lagoon, it lies in the Maracaibo Basin of northwestern Venezuela. It is connected to the Gulf of Venezuela by the Tablazo Strait.

The Paraguaná Peninsula is situated in northwestern Venezuela between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Venezuela. It is connected to the rest of the country by a natural isthmus. Médanos de Coro National Park, located along the Médanos Isthmus, is known for its massive sand dunes.

The Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena hotspot includes the tropical forests of the Pacific coast of northwestern South America as well as the Galápagos Islands. Stretching from southern Panama to northern Peru, this biodiversity hotspot includes a large variety of endemic species and habitats.

The Juruá-Purus Moist Forests ecoregion is located in northwestern Brazil to the south of the Solimões or upper Amazon River. It is part of the Amazon Biome and is mostly covered with evergreen tropical rainforests with a dense high canopy.