Transcript THE RAIN FOREST

THE RAIN FOREST
Where are tropical rainforests? Tropical rainforests are located in a band around the
equator in the area between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn . This wide
band is called the "tropics."
• One of the most talked
about places in the world
is the rain forest.
• It is called the rain forest
because it rains a lot.
Temperatures are high.
These high temperatures
cause evaporation of
water, which results in
frequent rain in the
tropics.
• It is also a very hot and
humid place. The climate
remains the same all the
time.
• The largest rain forests
can be found in the
African Congo, the
Amazon Basin in South
America, and Southern
Asia. Tropical rainforests
cover only about 7% of
the Earth's surface.
Canoe in the rain
forest. Congo
• This amazing ecosystem
has more species and
plants than all the other
ecosystems in the world
combined.
• Scientists estimate that
more than half of all the
world's plant and animal
species live in tropical
rain forests.
Poison Dart Frog
Tree boa
• Tropical rainforests produce
40% of Earth's oxygen.
• More than 20 percent of the
world oxygen is produced in
the Amazon Rainforest.
• The Amazon Rainforest has
been described as the "Lungs
of our Planet" because it
continuously recycles carbon
dioxide into oxygen.
Tropical orchid
Rain forest Indonesia
• A tropical rain forest
has more kinds of
trees than any other
area in the world.
• About 1/4 of all the
medicines we use
come from rainforest
plants.
• Approximately 3000 fruits
are found in the
rainforest. Though people
around the world only eat
about 200 of the fruits
that come from the
rainforest areas.
Carnivorous plant
The Amazon
• The Amazon rainforest is
the
biggest
tropical
rainforest in the world,
covering over five and a
half a million square
kilometers.
Carnivorous plant
Rain Forest Ferns
Rafflesia, the largest flower in the
world.
Red orchid
Saint orchid
The Amazon tribes
• There were an estimated
ten million Indians living
in the Amazonian
Rainforest five centuries
ago. Today there are less
than 200,000. In Brazil
alone, European colonists
have destroyed more
than 90 indigenous tribes
since the 1900's.
• With them have gone
centuries of knowledge of
the medicinal value of
rainforest species. As
their homelands continue
to be destroyed by
deforestation, rainforest
peoples are also
disappearing.
• Animals and plant
species become
extinct when their
environment is
destroyed.
• Scientists say that
over 500 square miles
of the rain forest is
destroyed every
minute.
Red eye frog
Tree boa
Why is the rain forest
being destroyed?
• There are many
different reasons.
One of the reasons is
that farmers can
make fields to grow
plants. The rain forest
is also chopped down
to use the wood for
things like furniture.
• Organizations have
been set up to try and
keep people from
cutting down any
more rain forests.
Mountain gorillas
Poison dart frog
Rain forest tree top hornbills
Rain forest scarlet macau
Rain forest tree frog walking on a branch.
Rain forest capuchin monkeys. Costa Rica
Rain forest lizard. Puerto Rico
Rain forest monkey eating a coconut. Malaysia
Rain forest red eye tree frog
Mountain gorilla