Though better known for rain forests, Latin America and the Caribbean are actually about one-quarter desert and drylands. The deserts of Latin America's Pacific coast stretch from southern Ecuador along the entire Peruvian shoreline and well into northern Chile. Further inland, lying at 3,000-4,500 meters in altitude, the high, dry plains (Altiplano) of the Andean mountains cover large areas of Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. The Caribbean states of the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica amongst others also contain arid zones; erosion is noticeably intensifying in many East Caribbean islands. more..

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