The Pantanal is a tropical wetland and the world's largest wetland of any kind. It lies mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul but extends into Mato Grosso as well as into portions of Bolivia and Paraguay, sprawling over an area estimated at between 140,000 square kilometers (54,000 sq mi) and 195,000 square kilometers (75,000 sq mi). Various sub-regional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological and ecological characteristics; up to twelve of them have been defined (RADAMBRASIL 1982).[1][2][3][4][5]
80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged during the rainy seasons, nurturing an astonishing biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping support a dense array ofanimal species. Though the Pantanal inevitably cuts a lower profile than the Amazon Rainforestto its north, its ecosystems are similarly precious.
The name "Pantanal" comes from the Portuguese word pântano, meaning wetland, bog, swampor marsh. By comparison, the Brazilian highlands are locally referred to as the planalto, plateauor, literally, high plain.
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