A rainforest is a dense tropical forest that is located in an area of high rainfall. Tropical rainforests are found in parts of Asia, Africa, Australia, South and Central America. They are a very important environment because they are home to about half of all plants and animals on Earth. Unfortunately, humans have caused damage to many tropical rainforests by logging or clearing the land for agriculture. If you have ever wondered which rainforest is the largest in the world, keep reading to find out.
The largest rainforest in the world
The largest rainforest on Earth is the famous Amazon Rainforest. It is approximately 5.5 million km² (2,123,562 sq mi) which makes it about 30% bigger than the next largest rainforest, the Congo Rainforest. It is so large that, by itself, it makes up more than 50% of the remaining rainforests in the world. It also has the most species of plants and animals of any rainforests in the world. It is located in South America and 60% of the rainforest is found in the country of Brazil. Smaller parts of the Amazon Rainforest are found in Peru (13%), Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
Did you know?
It is estimated that at least 20% of the Amazon has been lost since the 1960′s due to logging and land clearing for agriculture. It is estimated that, at the current rate of deforestation, in just 20 years about 40% of the Amazon Rainforest will be lost.