Rainforest Quiz From World Book (Australia & New Zealand)

The world's largest rain forests occur in tropical regions of the Americas, Asia, and Africa.

The rain forest ranks as the most complex ecosystem on land.

Scientists estimate that tropical deforestation (clearing of trees) wipes out about 7,500 species per year.

By absorbing carbon dioxide, tropical rain forests may help keep worldwide temperatures from becoming too warm.

Most rain forests grow near the equator, a make-believe line around Earth's middle.

The tallest trees, known as emergents, grow more than 50 metres tall.

Tropical rain forests cover about 377,000 square kilometres in northeast Australia and on many Pacific Islands.

Rain forests grow in four major layers—the canopy, or top layer; the sub-canopy, a layer of trees just below the canopy; the understorey, a shady lower area; and the floor.

Tropical rain forests occupy only 6 to 7 percent of Earth's surface.

About 45 percent of the world's plant species occur in tropical rain forests.