Rainforest Fact #1

To be classed as a tropical rainforest, the area's average temperature in the coldest month of the year has to be at least 18 degrees Celsius. The forest must also have an average monthly rainfall of at least 100mm.

Rainforest Fact #2

Rainforests used to cover around 15% of the earth’s surface – that figure is now around 7%. That’s about 900million hectares of South and Central America and around 500million hectares in Africa. Tropical rainforests also take over around 260million hectares in Asia.

Rainforest Fact #3

Logging is one of the major factors in deforestation as is destruction of the land to create farmland for products like banana trees or cattle grazing. Businesses have also cleared large tracts of forest to get to mineral rich areas where goods like gold and aluminium can be found. Deforestation could have catastrophic results, pushing already endangered species to extinction and laying waste to valuable medicinal plants. Deforestation also has a drastic affect on global warming: Rainforests suck up harmful carbon dioxide which can deplete the earth's protective ozone layer, leading to increased temperatures.

Rainforest Fact #4

Rainforests are known as nature's chemists; many common medicines originated there. In fact, it's believed one in four medicines purchased from a pharmacist contains an ingredient that was discovered in a rainforest. Spices such as cardamom, ginger and vanilla also originated in rainforests, as did the essential oils found in shampoos and other cosmetics. Brazil and cashew nuts have their origins in rainforests too, as well as gums and resins which are used to make products like chewing gum and Wellington boots.

Rainforest Fact #5

The biggest tropical rainforest in the world is the Amazon, in South America. 60% of the Amazon is in Brazil, but it also reaches into Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guinea. The Amazon is home to around 2.5 million insect species, around 2,000 species of birds and animals and countless plants (around 40,000 plants have been scientifically classified but there are believed to be many more).

Rainforest Fact #6

The world's largest flower, the Rafflesia, was discovered in the Indonesian rainforest in the early 19th Century. It’s a parasitic plant that feeds off vines and can grow to around one metre across. Unfortunately for the Rafflesia, it's not an attractive flower. Its petals look like rotting flesh and it stinks too. So much so, the locals know it as the 'corpse' or 'meat' flower. Not one for your window box!

Rainforest Fact #7

Not all rainforests are tropical - some are temperate. Temperate rainforests are not as hot but just as wet, with an average of 3,000mm of rain each year. Temperate rainforests occur in Northwestern North America, New Zealand, Southern Chile, Norway and even in Great Britain.

Rainforest Fact #8

Rainforests are made up of five layers. These are, from the top down, the emergent, the canopy, the understorey, the shrub and the forest floor. Most animals live in the understorey and shrub layers, while only 2% of the sun’s rays reach the dark and damp forest floor.

Rainforest Fact #9

Prince Charles is a leading figure in the campaign to save the rainforests. In 2000 his dedication to the cause was rewarded when he was made an honorary village chief by the people of the Sumara tribe in a remote area of the Guyana rainforest. He was presented with an eagle feather headdress and also took part in a traditional dance ceremony to seal his position.

Rainforest Fact #10

In 2000, Tom Hart Dyke and his friend Paul Winder were travelling through the Darien Gap, a rainforest area in Panama, searching for rare orchids. They were captured by guerrillas and held for over nine months. When they were eventually set free, they walked through the forest in a complete circle and ended up right back where they started, facing their captors. The guerrillas kindly pointed them in the right direction.