Tropical Rainforests (TRFs) are one of the Earth’s most unique and important environmental features. An undisturbed TRF is a diverse biome, with a huge variety of trees, plants and wildlife. A biome is the term used to describe an area of Earth with a particular combination of climate, landscape, plants and animals. Other biomes on Earth include deserts, land caves and coral reefs.
Amazon - J Snodgrass
TRFs are defined by two factors:
Location – Between around or about 5º North and 5º South of the Equator. The largest forests are in Brazil (South America), Democratic Republic of Congo (Africa) and Indonesia (islands found near the Indian Ocean). Other tropical rainforests lie in Southeast Asia, the Caribbean Islands and Hawaii.
Amount of rainfall received – The equatorial climate here is hot and wet all year round, with no seasons and very little monthly or yearly change. Rainforests receive from 4 – 8 m of rain each year. If you don’t think that is a lot, find out how much rain falls where you live and make a comparison.
Tropical Rainforests
