|
WHERE ARE THE RAINFORESTS
The map below shows the location of the world's tropical rainforests.
Rainforests cover only a small part of the earth's surface - about 6%, yet they are
home to over half the species of plants and animals in the world.
Click on the dark green areas to
read about the its unique rainforests.
CENTRAL AMERICA
This region was once entirely covered with rainforest, but large areas
have been cleared for cattle ranching and for sugar cane plantations.
Like other major rainforests, the jungles and mangrove swamps of Central America contain
many plants and animals found nowhere else. Central America is famous for its large
number of tropical birds, including many kinds of parrots. |
|
GO TO TOP
THE AMAZON
The Amazon jungle is the world's largest tropical rainforest. The
forest covers the basin of the Amazon, the world's second longest river.
The Amazon is home to the greatest variety of plants and animals on Earth. A 1/5 of all the world's plants and birds and about 1/10 of all mammal species are found there. |
|
GO TO TOP
AFRICA
Central Africa holds the world's second largest rainforest. To the
south east, the large island of Madagascar was once intensively forested, but now much of
it is gone.
|
|
Africa contains areas of high cloud forest, mangrove swamps and flooded
forests. The island of Madagascar is home to many unique plants and animals not
found anywhere else. |
GO TO TOP
SOUTHERN ASIA
The rainforests of Asia stretch from India and Burma in the west to
Malaysia and the islands of Java and Borneo in the east. Bangladesh has the largest
area of mangrove forests in the world.
In Southeast Asia the climate is hot and humid all year round. In the mainland Asia it has
a subtropical climate with torrential monsoon rains followed by a drier period. |
|
GO TO TOP
AUSTRALASIA
|
Millions of years ago, Australia, New Zealand and the island of New Guinea
formed part of a great forested southern continent, isolated from the rest of the world.
Today these countries contain many different species of animal that occur nowhere
else.
Undergrowth in Australia's tropical forests is dense and lush. The forests lie in
the path of wet winds blowing in from the Pacific. |
GO TO TOP
|