Palearctic (PA)

The Palearctic is the largest of all biogeographic realms, stretching across the entirety of Europe and Asia north of the Himalayas, as well as North Africa. It encompasses a massive range of temperate and subarctic climates, featuring biomes like the treeless tundra, the vast taiga (boreal forest), and the diverse Mediterranean Basin. Due to historical land connections with North America, it shares many species with the Nearctic, including brown bears, red deer, and reindeer. The realm also includes some of the world’s most ancient and deepest lakes, such as Lake Baikal in Siberia. While it has a long history of human impact, the Palearctic remains home to critical biodiversity hotspots in the Caucasus and the mountains of southwest China.

By carol - Ecozones and Image:BlankMap-World6, compact.svg by User:Lokal_Profil, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3704127