BOTESCU THEODORA-ANDREEA, CLASS 101, GEOGRAPHY 

 
THE TROPICAL RAINFORESTS 
 

 
 
 

Introduction 

Tropical rainforests are rainforests that are placed in areas of tropical rainforest
climate in which there is no dry season. All months have an average precipitation
of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as lowland equatorial evergreen
rainforest.

True rainforests are typically found between 10 degrees north and south of the
equator, in the equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of
Capricorn. Tropical rainforests are a type of tropical moist broadleaf forest (or
tropical wet forest) that also includes the more extensive seasonal tropical
forests.

Rainforests all over the world and their history  

Tropical rainforests have existed on earth for hundreds of millions of years. 

Most tropical rainforests today are frgmentsa of the Mesozoic era 
supercontinent of Gondwana. 

According to informative sources and research, the separation of the 

landmass resulted in a great loss of amphibian diversity while at the same 
time the drier climate spurred the diversification of reptiles. The division left 
tropical rainforests located in five major regions of the world: tropical 
America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Madagascar, and New Guinea, with smaller 
outliers in Australia. However, the specifics of the origin of rainforests remain 
uncertain due to an incomplete fossil record. 

Most of the rainforests on the world have survived since the Eocene 
geological era, when almost the whole Earth’s surface was covered in a huge 
rainforest. Once the ice age began, the climates had started changing with 

 
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the sudden drop in temperature from both poles to the Ecuator. But, 
creating a self-sustaining climatic balance using the amount of Sun radiation 
which the area absorbs from the sunrays sent directly from a roughly 90 
degrees angle, the solar heat is then transformed into vapors from the 
process of condensation. The solar energy is absorbed as well by the colossal 
amount of plants and trees, where two other biological processes start taking 
place: evotranspiration and photosynthesis. A phenomenon observed 
personally with the help of Google Earth/Maps is the evaporation. Tiny clouds 
can be seen above the layers of trees from the satellites just above the 
tropical rainforests (for example the Amazon rainforest, the Congo basin 
rainforest). 

The importance of tropical rainforests 

The tropical rainforests make up homes to roughly half of the world’s

species, representing a true haven of the biosphere, the flora and fauna
thriving in this environment. Leaving aside the fact that it’s crucial for the
living layer that occupies the rainforests, another fact that is so important
about the rainforest is that the oxygen amount that is being released is
estimated to be around 20%.

Regulating climate features: Rainforest will absorb carbon dioxide and 

produce oxygen, oxygen on Earth by 40% of the total, are transmitted 
through the tropical rainforest in the Amazon area. Tropical rainforest is 
only a small surface of the Earth, yet it is influence of the air that we 
breathe and climate in the world. For instance, plants and trees in the 
manufacture of food will absorb CO2 and release oxygen, but humans and 
other animals and plants that depend on this oxygen to breathe. Therefore, 

 
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the tropical rainforest is playing a very important role to make a balance in 
the maintenance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But 
today the human multitude fossil fuels, a large number of harvested wood, 
resulting in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations increase in allows 
incoming solar radiation, the Earth’s surface is then reflected out of the 
cumulative heat is the average global temperature rise, causing serious 
“greenhouse effect”. 

Another importance of the tropical rainforests to us, humans, is the fact 

that almost 70% of the ​plants useful in the treatment of cancer are only
found there. The ecosystem also provides us fruits, materials, fibres, spices
and so many other things that are irreplaceable.

Conservating the biological treasure of rainforests, especially the Amazon

should be a first world problem. But unfortunately, the uprising economy of
evolving states (such as Brasil, Ecuador etc) makes the government take
actions that are not too well intended and that is a fact observed due to the
consequences of the political events that happened lately. The
deforestation rate is growing at an alarming pace, just as the expansion of
the large cities in the area. Forests have been taken down in favour of farm
settlements and such other areas used for agricutural purposes.

Given the statements and arguments provided, it is mad clear that the 
tropical rainforests are essential resources that could not be replaced. By 
destroying the tropical rainforests, we are destroying the ecosystem and 
environment, which in turn threaten the human species ourselves. Laws 
should be enforced to help in the preservation of tropical rainforests.

 
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