Rainforests are the Earth’s oldest living ecosystems. Tall, dense jungles, they are so called due to the high amount of rainfall they experience, every year. Known for their complexity and diversity, they are home to more than half of the world’s plant and animal species despite covering a mere six percent of the planet’s surface. Did you know that rainforests thrive on every continent, the exception being Antarctica? Well, here’s a look at some from around the world.
Solve the puzzle to know just a little more about these incredible places.
North Western Ghats montane rainforests
The North Western Ghats montane covers 30,900 square kilometres of India, from southernmost Gujarat through Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka. They are found at an elevation above 1,000 metres. As of 1997, 13 protected areas had been designated, covering 13% of the ecoregion’s area. Some of these include Anshi National Park, Karnataka, Chandoli National Park, Maharashtra, Kudremukh National Park, Karnataka, Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra, among others. The Kudremukh National Park is known for its Hanumanagundi Falls, also known as Suthanabbe Falls, and falls from a height of 22 m.
Amazon rainforest
The world’s largest tropical rainforest, also known as Amazonia or Amazon Jungle, it covers an area of 5,500,000 km2 and covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America and runs through Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana. Over 4,38,000 species of plants have been registered here. It is also home to several species of animals including the jaguar, cougar, and anaconda, to name a few.
Equatorial rainforests
Tropical rainforests are those that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate where there is no dry season. In other words, there is an average precipitation of at least 60 mm, every month. These are also known as lowland equatorial evergreen rainforests and are found in Africa. Did you know that most of Africa’s remaining rainforests are found in the Congo river basin, on the part of the continent that faces the Atlantic Ocean?
Such rainforests are well known for the pygmy people who live here. They are hunter-gatherer groups and are characterised by their short height (below one-and-a-half meters, on average). The Efe, Aka, Twa, Baka, and Mbuti people of Central Africa are a part of this group.
Southeast Asian Rainforest
As the name suggests, it covers Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, and the Malay Peninsula. It is said to have covered a greater area in Asia but was destroyed due to deforestation. The forest is home to many rare mammals, amphibians, birds, and reptiles. Some of the species of animals found here include Bengal Tiger, Dawn bat, king cobra, and proboscis monkey among others.
