Geography and Ecology

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ALTHOUGH THEY COVER LESS THAN 2% OF EARTH'S SURFACE, RAINFORESTS ARE HOME TO HALF OF ALL TERRESTRIAL BIODIVERSITY

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THE CONGO BASIN CONTAINS AROUND 70% OF AFRICA'S TOTAL FOREST COVER

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THE AMAZON RAINFOREST IS THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD AND IS ESTIMATED TO BE HALF A BILLION HECTARES IN SIZE

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AFRICA IS HOME TO A QUARTER OF THE WORLD'S REMAINING RAINFORESTS AND CONTAINS ONE FIFTH OF THE WORLD'S BIODIVERSITY HOT SPOTS

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THE SMALLEST RAINFOREST IN THE WORLD (9.3 HECTARES) IS BUKIT NANAS FOREST RESERVE IN THE CITY OF KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

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THE CONGO RIVER IS THE WORLD'S DEEPEST RIVER WITH DEPTHS OF 220 METERS AND IS HOME TO TURTLES, THE DWARF CROCODILE AND THE AFRICAN MANATEE

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EACH CANOPY TREE IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST CAN RELEASE 760 LITRES OF WATER INTO THE ATMOSPHERE PER YEAR

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IN TOTAL, THE COMMONWEALTH CONTAINS 810 MILLION HECTARES OF FOREST - MORE THAN THE ENTIRE AMAZON RAINFOREST

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TROPICAL RAINFORESTS GET TWICE AS MUCH RAINFALL ON AVERAGE THAN TEMPERATE RAINFORESTS

Forest facts

Plants and Animals

Rainforests are home to 80 percent of the world’s terrestrial species

People and Rainforests

Over one billion people worldwide depend on forests for their livelihood

Geography and Ecology

Although they cover less than 2% of earth’s surface, rainforests are home to half of all terrestrial biodiversity

Threats to Rainforests

Every 2 seconds, we lose an area of rainforest the size of a football pitch