When asked to describe what a rainforest is, most people will describe a wet, tropical region near the equator, one with unique plant and animal life. However, rainforests are also found in the United States and Canada – not exactly tropical zones.

What Determines a Rainforest?

A rainforest is a forested area with a distinctive animal and plant life, as well as plenty of annual rainfall. The minimum annual rainfall needed to define a rainforest is between 67 and 100 inches of rain per year (how much rain necessary differs between sources and locations). Rainforests are found in both tropical and temperate climates.

Despite soil in rainforests being quite poor, rainforests are the home for two-thirds of the world’s plant and animal life, and it is believed that millions of organisms are living in rainforests yet undiscovered or unclassified. Also, the leafy overhead of the trees and plants keep the ground relatively clear, making it easy for animals and humans to travel through the forest area. When the overhead canopy is destroyed, shrubs, vines, and other small plant life begin to grow as underbrush, turning the forest into a jungle.

Where to Find Rainforests

Rainforests are found all over the world, on every continent except for Antarctica. The largest tropical rainforests are found in South America, in the Amazon basin. Other large tropical rainforests are found in Indonesia, the Congo, and Queensland, Australia. There are fewer temperate rainforests than there are tropical. The temperate rainforests are found along the Pacific coastline, from Alaska south to California, in Japan, New Zealand, what was Yugoslavia, and Tasmania.

Why the Rainforests Are Important

It would be safe to say that without the rainforests, life on Earth would be diminished. The rainforests generate approximately forty percent of the atmosphere’s oxygen. At one point in time, rainforests covered fourteen percent of the Earth’s surface, but with logging and development, that number is down to six percent and some predictions show the rainforests being wiped out by the middle of the 21st century. This is a major concern as it will cause imbalance in the world’s eco-system.

Rainforests are also considered the world’s largest pharmacy. Nearly half the medications used today get their “ingredients” from the rainforests, as much of the plant and animal life provides natural medicines.