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Which regions have the greatest number of turtle species?

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Illustrations of ten representative chelonians, including spiny softshell turtle, Galapagos giant tortoise, green turtle, alligator snapping turtle, Blanding's turtle, common map turtle, eastern box turtle, eastern painted turtle, spotted turtle, and eastern mud turtle, each labeled with its common and scientific name. A scale bar at the bottom shows size comparison. — turtle Turtles (order Testudines).

The regions with the greatest number of turtle species are southeastern North America and South Asia.12

While turtles are found on every continent except Antarctica, these two areas support the highest diversity of species. In both regions, the majority of these turtles are aquatic, inhabiting a wide range of environments including ponds, bogs, lakes, and rivers.12