WHAT IS A RAINFOREST?

Rainforests are the Earth's oldest living ecosystems.
They are so amazing and beautiful.

These incredible places cover only 6 %of the Earth's surface but yet they contain MORE THAN 1/2 of the world's plant and animal species!

A Rainforest can be described as a tall, dense jungle. The reason it is called a "rain" forest is because of the high amount of rainfall it gets per year. The climate of a rain forest is very hot and humid so the animals and plants that exist there must learn to adapt to this climate.

Rainforests basically have four layers to them.

As many as 30 million species of plants and animals live in tropical rainforests.

At least two-thirds of the world's plant species, including many exotic and beautiful flowers grow in the rainforests.

Rainforests are the source of many items that we all use in our own homes!

We eat several foods from the rainforest and many medicines are made from ingredients found only in these areas.
Some of the common products we know of include:

chocolate
sugar
cinnamon
rubber
medicine
pineapples.