Rainforests - An Overview of the World's Rainforests

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Rainforests - An Overview of the World's Rainforests
January 10, 2009
From Amanda Briney, Contributing Writer
About.com

Rainforests: Areas of Extreme Precipitation and Biodiversity
A rainforest is a forest differentiated by high levels of precipitation - normally a minimum of at least 68-78 inches (172-198 cm) annually. Rainforests tend to have fairly mild and/or warm climates and feature the highest levels of biodiversity in the world. Additionally, tropical rainforests are considered the "lungs of the Earth" because of the high amount of photosynthesis occurring in them.

Locations and Types of Rainforests
Within the rainforest biome, there are two specific types of rainforest. The first is a temperate rainforest. These forests are small and scattered but are always found on the coast (map of temperate rainforests). Some of the larger temperate rainforests are on the northwest coast of North America, southeastern Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and the southwest coast of South America.

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