This data set shows ecoregions, which are ecosystems of regional extent, in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Four levels of detail are included to show a hierarchy of ecosystems. The largest ecosystems are domains, which are groups of related climates and which are differentiated based on precipitation and temperature. Divisions represent the climates within domains and are differentiated based on precipitation levels and patterns as well as temperature. Divisions are subdivided into provinces, which are differentiated based on vegetation or other natural land covers. The finest level of detail is described by subregions, called sections, which are subdivisions of provinces based on terrain features. Also identified are mountainous areas that exhibit different ecological zones based on elevation.

Download GIS Data Sets

The USDA Forest Service and the National Atlas of the United States® have collaborated to create, and deliver for download, the following GIS data sets:

ARC/INFO (3.0MB compressed)
ArcView Shapefile (4.1MB compressed)

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Download Sample Maps

The map of the Ecoregions of the United States is available for download in the following formats and sizes below. Here is a

National Atlas of the United States

Ecoregions of the United States are now incorporated into the online digital National Atlas of the United States®. (Ecoregions are located under the +Biology category).