The Peten region consists of densely forested low-lying limestone plain;a chain of fourteen lakes runs across the central drainage basin of Petén.To the south the plain gradually rises towards the Guatemalan Highlands.Dense forest covers northern Petén and Belize, most of Quintana Roo, southern Campeche and a portion of the south of Yucatán state. Further north, the vegetation turns to lower forest consisting of dense scrub.