The formation is a result of the large, concave pre-Andean depression of the earth's crust, related to the Andean orogeny of the Tertiary. The Pantanal is about 140,000–160,000 km 2 (54,000–62,000 sq mi), gently-sloped basin that receives runoff from the upland areas (the Planalto highlands) and slowly releases the water through the Paraguay River and tributaries. The name "Pantanal" comes from the Portuguese word pântano that means "swamp", "wetland", "bog", "quagmire" or "marsh" plus the suffix -al, that means "abundance, agglomeration, collection" By comparison, the Brazilian highlands are locally referred to as the planalto, that means "plateau" or, literally, "high plain". Roughly 80% of the Pantanal floodplains are submerged during the rainy seasons, nurturing a biologically diverse collection of aquatic plants and helping to support a dense array of animal species. Various subregional ecosystems exist, each with distinct hydrological, geological and ecological characteristics up to 12 of them have been defined. It is located mostly within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. The Pantanal ( Portuguese pronunciation: ) is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands. Pantanal (South America) Show map of South America
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