Geography GCSE: The Tropical Rainforest

The Tropical Rainforest 

LOCATION

The largest rainforests are in the Amazon River Basin (South America), the Congo River Basin (Western Africa) and throughout much of SouthEast Aisa. Smaller rainforests are located in Central America, Madagascar, Australia and nearby islands. Rainforests are found in the tropics, the region between the tropic of Cancer and the tropics of Capricorn, just above and below the equator. In this tropic zone, the sun is very strong and shines about the same amount of time every day all year long, keeping the climate warm and relatively stable. Tropical rainforests are located in a band around the equator (zero degrees latitude), mostly in the area between the tropic of cancer (23.5 degrees N latitude) and the tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees S latitude). This 3,000 miles (4800km) wideband is called the tropics. Tropical rainforests only cover 7% of the earth's surface. The largest rainforests are in the Amazon River Basin. There are only two seasons in the tropical rainforests. 

CLIMATE

Because tropical rainforests occur on or close to the equator, the climate is typically warm and wet. Annual temperature average is around 26 degrees Celsius and shows little variation from day or month to month. Annual rainfall usually exceeds 2,500mm. This abundant supply of water feeds the huge rivers, such as the Amazon in Brazil and the Congo in Central Africa, which are an impressive physical feature of tropical rainforests. A tropical biome is found in hot, humid environments in equatorial climates. They contain the most diverse range & highest volume of plants & animal life found anywhere else on Earth. 

ANIMALS

Rainforests are tremendously rich in animal life. Rainforests…