🌿 What is a Rainforest?
A tropical rainforest is a dense forest that grows near the equator, where it is warm and wet all year round. They receive over 2,000 mm of rain per year — that’s more than 5 metres! Rainforests are home to an extraordinary variety of life: over half of all animal and plant species on Earth live in rainforests, even though they cover less than 6% of the planet’s surface.
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Layers of the Rainforest
- Emergent layer: Tallest trees, 45+m high, catching all the sunlight
- Canopy layer: Dense roof of leaves where most animals live
- Understory: Dim, humid layer of smaller trees and shrubs
- Forest floor: Almost no sunlight — everything decomposes rapidly
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Rainforest Animals
- Rainforests contain over half of all animal species on Earth
- The Amazon has over 3,000 species of fish — more than the Atlantic Ocean
- One hectare of rainforest can contain 400 species of bird
- Rainforests are home to more species of insects than anywhere else
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The Amazon
- The Amazon is the world’s largest tropical rainforest
- Covers 5.5 million km² — bigger than the whole of Europe
- The Amazon River releases more fresh water into the ocean than any other river
- It creates its own weather — trees release so much water vapour they make their own clouds
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Rainforests and Medicine
- 25% of all modern medicines originally came from rainforest plants
- The rosy periwinkle plant led to treatments for childhood leukaemia
- Less than 1% of rainforest plants have been tested for medicinal use
- Rainforests may contain cures for diseases we haven’t yet discovered
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Rainforests and Climate
- Rainforests absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide, helping slow climate change
- They produce 20% of the world’s oxygen
- The Amazon alone stores 150–200 billion tonnes of carbon
- Cutting down rainforest releases stored carbon, accelerating global warming
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Deforestation
- An area of rainforest the size of a football pitch is lost every single second
- Since 1960, half of the world’s rainforests have been destroyed
- Main causes: farming, cattle ranching, timber and palm oil
- At current rates, rainforests could be largely gone within 100 years
✨ Amazing Rainforest Facts
🌿 A single hectare of Amazon rainforest can contain more species of tree than the whole of the United Kingdom.
🐞 Scientists discover approximately 40,000 new species in the Amazon every year — most of them insects.
🌞 The Amazon River is so wide and powerful that it pushes fresh water 160 km into the Atlantic Ocean before it mixes with salt water.
🌟 Some rainforest trees are so tall their roots would be at street level and their tops would reach above a 15–storey building.
🐹 The rainforest has its own pharmacy — indigenous peoples have used plant medicines for thousands of years, many of which science is only now studying.
☔ Because the canopy is so dense, it can take 10 minutes for rainfall to reach the forest floor — even during a heavy rainstorm.
🤔 Rainforest Quiz
Click each answer to check it instantly!
Question 1 of 6
How many layers does a tropical rainforest have?
- Three — top, middle and floor
- Four — emergent, canopy, understory and forest floor
- Five, including an underground layer
- Two — canopy and floor
Question 2 of 6
What fraction of all Earth's animal species live in rainforests?
- More than half
- About one quarter
- About one third
- About one tenth
Question 3 of 6
How much of the world's oxygen do rainforests produce?
- About 50%
- About 20%
- About 5%
- Almost 100%
Question 4 of 6
What percentage of modern medicines originally came from rainforest plants?
- About 10%
- About 5%
- About 25%
- About 50%
Question 5 of 6
How quickly is rainforest being lost?
- About one football pitch per minute
- About one hectare per day
- About one square kilometre per week
- About one football pitch per second
Question 6 of 6
Why do rainforests create their own weather?
- Because underground rivers push water up through the soil
- Because trees release water vapour through their leaves, forming clouds and causing rainfall
- Because rainforests are below sea level and collect rainfall naturally
- Because they are near the equator where rain always falls
📚 Key Words
canopy
The dense top layer of a rainforest formed by the overlapping branches and leaves of tall trees.
understory
The layer of the rainforest between the canopy and the forest floor, where plants receive little sunlight.
biodiversity
The variety of different species of plants, animals and other living things in a particular area.
deforestation
The cutting down and clearing of large areas of forest, often to create farmland.
transpiration
The process by which plants release water vapour through their leaves into the air.
photosynthesis
The process by which plants use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to produce food and release oxygen.
ecosystem
All living things in a particular area and how they interact with each other and their environment.
carbon dioxide
A gas produced when things are burned or decomposed. Plants absorb it; deforestation releases stored carbon.
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