Cañón del Usumacinta facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cañón del Usumacinta |
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| Usumacinta Canyon | |
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IUCN Category VI (Managed Resource Protected Area)
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 Cañón del Usumacinta
Location in Mexico
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| Location | Tenosique, Tabasco, Mexico |
| Area | 461.28 km2 (178.10 sq mi) |
| Designation | Flora and fauna protection area |
| Designated | 2008 |
| Governing body | National Commission of Natural Protected Areas |
The Usumacinta Canyon is a special natural area in southern Mexico. It is officially known as a "flora and fauna protection area." This means it's a place where plants and animals are kept safe.
This protected area covers a beautiful part of the Usumacinta Canyon. Here, the Usumacinta River flows through a narrow gorge, cutting through tall, parallel hills. This amazing place is in the state of Tabasco, right on the border with Guatemala. It was made a protected area in 2008.
Where is the Usumacinta Canyon?
The Cañón del Usumacinta Flora and Fauna Protection Area is quite large. It covers about 461.28 square kilometers. That's like protecting an area bigger than 64,000 football fields!
The mighty Usumacinta River forms the western edge of this protected land. To the south, the border with Guatemala marks its boundary. Right next to it in Guatemala is another protected place called Sierra del Lacandón National Park. This shows how important it is to protect nature across borders.
Plants and Animals of the Canyon
The Usumacinta Canyon is part of a larger natural region called the Petén–Veracruz moist forests. This area is known for its amazing evergreen tropical rainforests. These forests stretch from Mexico's southern coast all the way across northern Guatemala and Belize to the Caribbean Sea.
What Plants Grow Here?
The main type of plant life you'll find in the canyon is tall evergreen rainforest. This means the trees stay green all year round. There are also some smaller areas with low thorn forests. These are forests where many plants have thorns.
