Rainforests Facts: Test Your Knowledge with This Quiz!

Natália G.R. de Mello holds doctorate and masters degress in environmental science and works as a contributor for 8 Billion Trees.Written by Natalia Mello

Quizzes Tests | March 15, 2024

A man in a rainforest thinking about taking a quiz to test his knowledge.

Rainforests are enchanting… but how much do you know about them and the plants found there?

Answer these 10 questions to test your knowledge on this rainforest facts quiz!

Question 1) What percentage of the world’s terrestrial plant species do tropical rainforests host?

  • Tropical forests are very productive and diverse, because tropical latitudes receive a great amount of solar energy. Therefore, these vital ecosystems host 66% of all plant species we know.1

Question 2) True or False? Alaska and Canada both have rainforests.

  •  A rainforest is an area that receives a specific of rainfall and includes many tall and (mostly) evergreen trees. These ecosystems exist in all continents, except for Antarctica.2

Question 3) What percentage of Earth’s total surface area do rainforests cover?

A view into the lush green canopy of the Amazon rainforest in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador, with an 8 Billion Trees watermark.

  • Sadly, rainforests only cover a small portion (2.5%) of our planet and the amount is decreasing.3 

Question 4) What is the world’s largest rainforest?

  • The Amazon rainforest covers roughly 2,300,000 square miles!4

Question 5) How many countries share the Amazon Rainforest?

A large elephant ear leaf covered in dew and sunlight in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador, with an 8 Billion Trees watermark.

  •  Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Ecuador, and French Guiana share the Amazon.5 

Question 6) What are angiosperms?

  •  Your favorite fruit tree and flowering plants belong to this group.6 

Question 7) What is the average temperature of tropical rainforests?

  • Tropical rainforests are very warm and humid. The equatorial latitude keeps the temperature constant throughout the year: between 75 and 80° F.7 

Question 8) What percentage of flowers found in Australia’s rainforests cannot be found anywhere else?

  • Because Australia is fairly isolated, a great amount of its plant and animal species are endemic to the country.7 

Question 9) Nutrients are scarcely available in deep soils of tropical rainforests. How have the tree species adapted to that limitation?

A small stream with ferns and vegetation in the Amazon tropical rainforest in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador.

  • In tropical rainforests, the top soil accumulates organic matter and nutrients come from there. Trees in these environments have shallow roots that spread out to capture the nutrients they need.1

Question 10) True or False? Plants found in rainforests have long been used to diagnose and treat diseases.

  • Shamans (medicine men) have used plant species not only to successfully treat diseases, but also to diagnose them.8

References

1TROPICAL RAINFOREST PLANT FACTS. (n.d.). Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://tropical-rainforest-facts.com/Tropical-Rainforest-Plant-Facts/Tropical-Rainforest-Plant-Facts.shtml

2National Geographic. (2015, May 11). Rainforest. Retrieved July 29, 2021, from http://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/rain-forest/

3Butler, R. (n.d.). 10 Rainforest Facts for 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://rainforests.mongabay.com/facts/rainforest-facts.html

4Butler, R. (n.d.). The world’s largest rainforests? Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://rainforests.mongabay.com/facts/the-worlds-largest-rainforests.html

5Sawe, Benjamin. “Countries Sharing The Amazon Rainforest.” WorldAtlas, 25 Apr. 2017, https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-sharing-the-amazon-rainforest.html.

6Biology Online. (2021, July 2). Angiosperm – Definition and Examples – Biology Online Dictionary. Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/angiosperm

7Conserve Energy Future. (2021, August 1). Tropical Rainforest Biome: Location, Temperature, Precipitation, Plants and Animals . Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/tropical-rainforest-biome.php

8Butler, R. (2009, November 10). How rainforest shamans treat disease. Retrieved July 29, 2021, from https://news.mongabay.com/2009/11/how-rainforest-shamans-treat-disease/