The Chilean Central Valley lies between the Coastal range and the Andes Mountains, which bound the matorral ecoregion on the east.

To the north is the extremely dry Atacama desert, which separates the matorral from the tropical forests of northern South America.

A semi-desert region known as El Norte Chico (the "little north") lies between 28° and 32° south latitude, and is the transition zone between the Atacama desert and the Matorral.

About 95% of the plant species are endemic to Chile, including Gomortega keule, Pitavia punctata, Nothofagus alessandrii, and the Chilean wine palm, Jubaea chilensis.

[7] Endemic and near-endemic birds include the Chilean tinamou (Nothoprocta perdicaria), moustached turca (Pteroptochos megapodius), white-throated tapaculo (Scelorchilus albicollis), Ochre-flanked tapaculo (Eugralla paradoxa), crag earthcreeper (Ochetorhynchus melanurus), dusky-tailed canastero (Pseudasthenes humicola), and Chilean mockingbird (Mimus thenca).

[2] Native amphibians include the Atacama toad (Rhinella atacamensis) in the northern portion of the ecoregion, and the banded wood frog (Batrachyla taeniata), Chile four-eyed frog (Pleurodema thaul), helmeted water toad (Caudiverbera caudiverbera), and Alsodes nodosus.