Tropical rainforest

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, also known as tropical wet forests and tropical rainforests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome. The biome includes several types of forests, including lowland tropical rain forests, which receive high rainfall year-round; moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests, with high overall rainfall marked by strong seasonal variations; montane rain forests found in cooler-climate mountainous areas; and freshwater swamp forests and peat swamp forests.

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests are found in a belt around the equator and in the humid subtropics, and are characterized by warm, humid climates with high year-round rainfall. Tropical and subtropical forest regions with lower rainfall are home to Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests and Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests. Temperate rain forests also occur in certain humid temperate coastal regions.

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests are common in several terrestrial ecozones, including parts of the Afrotropic (equatorial Africa), Indomalaya (parts of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia), the Neotropic (northern South America and Central America), Australasia (eastern Indonesia, New Guinea, northern and eastern Australia), and Oceania (the tropical islands of the Pacific Ocean). About half of the world's tropical rainforests are in the South American countries of Brazil and Peru. Rain forests now cover less than 6% of Earth's land surface. Scientists estimate that more than half of all the world's plant and animal species live in tropical rain forests.