They are incredibly diverse and complex, home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species—even though they cover just 6% of Earth’s surface. The largest rainforests are in the Amazon River Basin (South America), the Congo River Basin (western Africa), and throughout much of southeast Asia. Smaller rainforests are located in Central America, Madagascar, Australia and nearby islands, India, and other locations in the tropics.
Rainforests are lush, warm, wet habitats. Trees in the rainforest grow very tall because they have to compete with other plants for sunlight. Rainforests are thought to store at least 250 billion tons of carbon. Rainforest trees can release a lot of water, up to 200 gallons each year. The water forms a thick cloud-cover over the rainforest, so it is always warm and humid.
The types of rainforests include:
*Tropical mangrove forests
*Temperate rainforests
*Seasonal rainforests
*Semievergreen forests
*Moist/dry deciduous forests
The biggest rainforest is the Amazon rainforest which is nearly the roughly of the continental United States and covers about 40 percent of South America. Nearly two-thirds of the Amazon rainforest lies within the borders of Brazil.
Most rainforests are structured in four layers: emergent, canopy, understory, and forest floor. Each layer has unique characteristics based on differing levels of water, sunlight, and air circulation. Most animals in the rainforest live in the canopy. The layer below the canopy is called the understory. Small trees and plants that do not need much light grow here.
Why is it called a rainforest?
