Valdivian temperate forests

Valdivian temperate forests (NT0404)
Trees and understory at Oncol Park
Location in the south of South America
Ecology
Biome	Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests
Borders	Patagonian steppe, Magellanic subpolar forests, Chilean matorral and Southern Andean steppe
Geography
Area	248,100 km2 (95,800 sq mi)
Countries	Chile and Argentina

The Valdivian temperate forests (NT0404) is a ecoregion on the west coast of southern South America, in Chile and extending into Argentina. It is part of the Neotropical ecozone. The forests are named after the city of Valdivia. The Valdivian temperate rainforests are characterized by their dense understories of bamboos, ferns, and for being mostly dominated by evergreen angiosperm trees with some deciduous specimens, though conifer trees are also common.

Temperate rain forests comprise a relatively narrow coastal strip between the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the southern Andes Mountains to the east, from roughly 37° to 48° south latitude. North of 42°, the Chilean coastal range runs along the coast, and the north-south running Chilean Central Valley lies between the coastal range and the Andes. South of 42°, the coast range continues as a chain of offshore islands, including Chiloé Island and the Chonos Archipelago, while the "Central Valley" is submerged and continues as the Gulf of Corcovado. Much of the ecoregion was covered by the Patagonian Ice Sheet and other glaciers at the peak of the last ice age, which descended from the Andes mountains, and the numerous lakes of the Chilean lakes district in the central part of the ecoregion were originally glacial valleys, while the southern part of the region has many glacier-carved fjords.