Largest Rainforest in the World? 10 Biggest Jungles Ranked by Size (Map)

Have you ever wondered, where is the largest rainforest in the world or what are the biggest jungles in the world? Jungles, rainforests and hardwood forests have some of the most scenic natural wonders on the planet.

Not to mention being the home to hundreds of thousands of arboreal species and providing  crucial carbon sinks for the Earth that help maintain weather patterns and prevent extreme climate changes.

They’re distributed across various continents and house thousands of plant and animal species.

But, which is the biggest jungle in the world when ranked by size?

(Image: Center for Biodiversity Research and Information⁷)

Ensuring that rainforests and the biggest jungles in the world keep the planet safe from a climate catastrophe begins with learning about their features and locations.

10 of the Biggest Jungles in the World

Rainforests are natural tropical paradises that protect various unique species, maintaining the earth’s ecosystem and providing food, water, and oxygen for all living things.

It is interesting to discover all the hidden features of these majestic worlds.

The Amazon Rainforest (South America)

One of the biggest jungles in the world spreads across a significant part of Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, Colombia, and Bolivia, a massive 5,500,000 km².² The Amazon is the habitat of one out of ten species worldwide and protects a massive range of wildlife.

It is millions of years old, and although it has lost about 20% of its size over the decades to deforestation and other human activities, rescue efforts are ongoing to keep it safe.

The Congo Rainforest (Africa)

The Congo rainforest is regarded as the Earth’s second lung as the second-largest jungle, spanning six countries in the Congo basin, including the DRC, the Republic of Congo, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea.

It covers an impressive 3,400,000 km² and is more extensive than Alaska. Like the Amazon, the Congo forest is also home to various animal species like primates, elephants, and several other endangered wildlife.

As one of the main ecological balancers, it hosts more than 29% indigenous species, about 100 bird species, and over 500 fish and mammal species.

New Guinea Rainforest (Oceania)

This forest expands over 300,000 square miles and is the third largest jungle, although it is not one giant forest like other rainforests. It extends through Papua New Guinea and parts of Indonesia and boasts about 10% of the planet’s biodiversity.

(Image: Center for Biodiversity Research and Information⁸)

The rainforests in Indonesia are also part of the Sundaland Rainforest, including Malaysia (mostly Indo-Burma forest) and Brunei. These covers feature all the natural forests, including the New Guinea rainforest, some of which are supported by the Mekong River Basin.

The region is rich in resources, dear to the plants and animals it shelters, but unfortunately, it also attracts exploitation. It stores carbon in millions of tons and needs protection from logging and other human activities.

Valdivian Temperate Rain Forest (South America)

Extending an area of 248,100 km², the Valdivian Rainforest is named after the city with the same name and is one of the youngest and biggest jungles in the world. It is in the lower regions of South America between the Pacific coast and the Andes ranges, shared between Argentina and Chile.

It was formed 17,000 years ago and features magnificent rivers, lakes, and islands and is the natural habitat of unique wildlife species like the tiny rare Pudu and Kodkod.⁹
You will also find beautiful conifers, bamboo, and other deciduous trees.

Eastern Australian Rainforest (Australia)

The rainforests in Eastern Australia and New Guinea combine to form the Australiasia rainforest, which should be the third largest forest in the world.⁶ These jungles also exist in the tiny islands that were previously connected.

The Eastern Australia temperate forest is about 200,000 square kilometers and is quite interesting given how far it is from the equator, unlike the Congo and Amazon rainforests.

Honorable Mention: Tongass National Forest (United States)

The Tongass temperate rainforest is remarkable to the United States as the country’s largest forest. It covers about 68,062 km², is found in South East Alaska, and is also home to various plants and animals.

Almost 30% of the total expanse is wilderness, but it still boasts dense evergreen trees like the red cedar and Western Sitka. The glaciers in the forest are scenic tourist attractions and are home to some of the most endangered species in the world, given how isolated it is.

Like the Tongass National Forest, the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Costa Rica is another famous tourist attraction drawing in over 50 000 visitors annually. However, it is smaller, spanning about 100 square kilometers.

Bosawas Biosphere Reserve (Nicaragua)

This biosphere reserve is one of the most extensive forests in the world in Nicaragua. The entire region is around 18,000 square kilometers, but the forested area spans about 10,000 km².

Given this massive size, it takes up a massive part of the country’s landscape, approximately 5%.

Bosawas Biosphere reserve is known for hosting diverse wildlife species, including unique insects and dangerous venomous snakes. Unfortunately, it faces the threat of deforestation due to land clearing for farming.

Daintree Rainforest (Australia)

This natural rainforest is named after Richard Daintree, a renowned geologist, and it borders the Great Barrier Reef. This tropical cover is one of the world’s largest and oldest forests in the world, estimated to exist more than 180 million years ago.

UNESCO gave it a world heritage status as one of the oldest forest covers, and you will find it in North East Queensland, Australia, expanding about 1,200 square kilometers.

It is the country’s largest continuous forest, and the scenic view attracts more than 400,000 visitors yearly.⁴ Almost 90% of the world’s bats and butterflies call the place home, and it hosts many of Australia’s indigenous species.

Kinabalu National Park (Malaysia)

The Kinabalu National Park is in the north of Borneo Island and is Malaysia’s first park, which surrounds the mountain with the same name.

It is a world heritage site and is massive, at 754 km². Its location ranges from the tropical lowlands to the hilly rainforests in the region.

Like any other Southeast Asian Rainforest in the region,¹⁰
Kinabalu is also home to various plants and animals and hosts over a thousand orchid species.

Sinharaja Forest Reserve (Sri Lanka)

The Sinharaja Rainforest is a significant landmark in Sri Lanka, Asia, although it is only 88 square kilometers large. It is a nutrient-rich region and shelters about 23% of the country’s indigenous animals and 64% of plant species.

From the existing animals, 85% and over 50% of endemic birds and mammals live there. The Napola Dola, Maha Dola, Koskulana Ganga, and Gin Ganga rivers surround the reserve, and rightfully, it has been a world heritage site since 1988.

The Wonder of the Amazon Rainforest

The Amazon rainforest is the largest on the planet, spanning nine countries in South America, including Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guyana, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Suriname, and French Guiana. Therefore, it covers around 40% of the continent.

The Amazon Basin is the planet’s most massive drainage system, supporting more than half of the world’s total rainforest covers. The Amazon River is the rainforest’s lifeline and has the world’s highest discharge rate, although it is the second longest besides the Nile in Africa.

It features more than 1,000 tributaries, some more than 1,000 miles long and others having more water volume than the river Congo (Madeira and Negro rivers). This massive rainforest is biodiverse, and several indigenous people call it home.

What Is the World’s Largest Rainforest (Largest Rain Forest)?

The Amazon rainforest is the world’s largest, covering more than 5.5 million square kilometers. Besides hosting thousands of wildlife species, the region is also home to many indigenous communities who obtain food and water from the forest and have been there for generations.

More than 30 million people call it home, given that it extends across more than five countries in South America. Out of this number, 9% are natives and are divided into over three hundred ethnicities.

Interestingly, 77 Brazilian tribes remain isolated from the world, deep in the forests.

Studies show that 10% of the species on earth are in the Amazon. Therefore, the rainforest is a crucial aspect of the ecosystem, and any threats to its survival endanger millions of people and thousands of plants and animals.

The Largest Rainforest in the World Is Located in Which Continent?

The world’s largest rainforest, more than 50% of all tropical forest cover, is found in South America across nine countries. It extends an area of 5.5 million square kilometers, although most (60%) is in Brazil, while the other countries share the rest of the cover.

The tropical rainforest location makes it home to millions of people, including native ethnicities. The Amazon River, the second longest in the world, is the rainforest’s life as it connects to over a thousand tributaries that feed the forest.

The Amazon spans 40% of the South American continent and is home to 10% of the world’s indigenous plant and animal species.^11,12

Facts To Know About the Largest Tropical Rainforest in the World

The following are some interesting facts about the Amazon rainforest, the largest in the world.

• The Amazon hosts over 2.5 million insect varieties
• It is home to 10% of all planet species
• 2.7 million indigenous people live there
• 77 native Brazilian tribes live in the Amazon, totally isolated from the world
• 427 of the world’s 4 000 amphibians live in the rainforest
• 450 reptiles live there
• 3,000 fish species live in the Amazon Basin’s 1,100 river tributaries
• It is home to the rare Boto or pink dolphins

Tree Species in the Biggest Rainforest in the World

The biodiverse Amazon rainforest hosts different kinds of trees, native and invasive species, home to the inhabiting wildlife. The rainforest has about 400 billion trees from more than 16,000 species.

The main versions you will find comprise Annona montana, Aphandra, Acioa edulis, Astrocaryum vulgare, Attalea speciosa, Brazil nut, Cinchona officinalis, Cinchona ledgeriana, and Cocoa tree.

Other common species in the Amazon include Eugenia stipitata, Couepia longipendula, Hancornia speciosa, Rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, Attalea maripa, Kapok, Magnolia amazonica, Platonia, and several other types.

Least Known Facts About the World Biggest Jungle

The biggest jungles in the world boast rich tropical rainforest biomes but there are more interesting facts about the Amazon, Congo forest, and other major covers in the world.

• 2.5% of the planet’s total surface is rainforests
• They are the natural habitat of 50% of the earth’s flora and fauna
• 25% of the forest cover worldwide is temperate rainforest
• 40-100 plant species are in each hectare of land in the tropical rainforests
• There are 7 temperate forests worldwide
• 25% of the global western medicine comes from plant species in rainforests
• There are more orchid species in the New Guinea forest than anywhere else
• The rainforest forest cover is so dense that the floor receives only 2% sunlight

How Many Tree Species Are There in the Biggest Jungles in the World?

One of the primary tropical rainforest characteristics is richness in flora and fauna regardless of being threatened daily by human activities. They are biodiverse, housing 40,000 to 53,000 varieties, with the Indo-Pacific and Neotropics being equally rich in biomes, both boasting 19,000 to 25,000 tree types.

Out of all the biggest jungles in the world, the African region doesn’t have as many tree species, and only 4,500 to 6,000 species inhabit it. Few common varieties are shared between the American, Indo-Pacific, and African regions, but they are all considered biodiverse.

However, Africa is still better off, unlike the European region, where there are only 124 tree species, while North America has about 1,000 varieties.

Tropical Rainforest Climate Explained

Tropical and temperate rainforests experience different climates due to their location in various regions and continents. The tropical forests are usually warm throughout the year, and the day and night temperatures don’t vary much.

(Image: Center for Biodiversity Research and Information⁸)

On average, tropical rainforest temperature reaches 21-30 degrees Celsius,¹³ and the humidity is typically high given how wet the region is, ranging from 77-88% all year long.¹

Additionally, the tropical rainforests receive heavy rainfall, at about 200- 1,000 cm, sometimes at extreme rates of 5 cm an hour.

Tropical Rainforest Facts You Should Know

The tropical rainforests distributed all over the planet are critical to maintaining the ecosystem, and the following are some facts you should know.

• Various rainforest types exist worldwide besides tropical rainforests, and jungles will look different given variable soil types, rainfall levels, and animal species present.
• Tropical rainforests comprise 8% of the world’s land surface and 2.5% of the planet’s total area.
• The Amazon basin rainforest is the largest in the world, covering 40% of South America and 60% of Brazil.
• The Congo forest in the Congo basin is the world’s second-largest tropical rainforest, closely followed by the New Guinea rainforest.
• Brazil has the most rainforest cover; the DRC is second, followed by Indonesia and Peru.
• Unlike temperate forests, most life in the rainforest is on the tree species.
• Most of the products we use daily come from rainforests, including medicines, coffee, and fruits.

Which Is the Second Largest Rainforest in the World?

After the Amazon in South America, the Congo forest in Africa is the second largest rainforest in the world, spanning six countries in the central part of the continent. It covers Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the DRC, Congo, and the Central African Republic.

The massive size accounts for 17% of all the planet’s rainforests, with 60% of it being in the DRC.⁵

And, 57% of the country consists of this rainforest, as 40% of the mass is found in the neighboring countries.

Which Is the Oldest Forest in the World?

The Daintree forest in Australia is estimated to be the world’s oldest, at approximately 180 million years. Besides its age, it is also one of the world’s most extensive continuous forests, spanning 1,200 km².

It is also biodiverse, hosting various unique plant and animal species, and is a world heritage site. In addition, it is one of the most scenic places to visit, explaining the hundreds of thousands of tourists yearly.

Which Is the Largest Rainforest in Asia?

The New Guinea rainforest is the largest in the entire Asia-Pacific region and is the third most massive rainforest in the world, rivaled by the Amazon and Congo forests. It extends more than 280 000 square kilometers and is found in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

It covers about 65% of the second-largest island worldwide and is rich in plant and animal species. It has a high tree density and boasts more orchid species than anywhere else on the planet.

How Many Rainforests Are There in the World 2022?

Several tropical rainforests on the planet are distributed between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer.¹⁴ The following are the significant forests you will find.¹⁵

1. The Amazon
2. The Congo Forest
3. The Australian rainforest in North East Australia and New Guinea
4. Sundaland rainforest in Sumatra, Malaysia, Java, and Borneo
5. Indo-Burma rainforest extending Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and Cambodia
6. Mesoamerica spanning Southern parts of Panama and Mexico
7. Wallacea in Indonesia and the Maluku Islands
8. Guinea rainforest in West Africa covers Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, and Nigeria
9. The Atlantic rainforest extending Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil
10. Choco-Darien forest stretching from South Panama to Ecuador and Colombia

Which Is the Largest Forest in Europe?

You may not expect a dense jungle of rainforest to grow in Europe, but Perucica will prove you wrong. There are rainforests all over the world except in Antarctica, and this forest is the largest in the region found on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s South East border.

It is the largest as it covers about 3,500 acres of old scenic trees and is an ideal place to visit in Europe if you are a nature lover. However, the forest is a UNESCO reserve primarily for scientific research, not a tourist attraction site.

Benefits of the Largest Rainforest in the World

The Amazon is the largest rainforest and is regarded as the earth’s “lungs”. The following are the reasons why it needs protection at all costs.

Precipitation

The Amazon accounts for up to 75% of its precipitation through tree transpiration, creating rainfall that feeds the interconnected rivers and the entire basin. Besides, this rain also benefits the neighboring region, with reports indicating that it can influence rain as far as Western and Central US.

Carbon Storage

The almost 400 billion trees in the rainforest store massive carbon amounts and are responsible for high forest carbon offsets by up to 80 billion tons, a third of the total tropical rainforest amounts.

Rich Flora and Fauna

A considerable percentage of the world’s species call the Amazon home, making it essential to the ecosystem. The tropical rainforest plants are essential for the survival of the animals and the indigenous communities living in the forest.

Helps the Local Community

Tens of millions living in the Amazon basin rely on the forest for their livelihood. It supplies food and water to the natives, and people rely on the rivers for transportation, fish, and trees for medicine and fruits.

What Are the Threats to the Largest Rainforest in the World?

Rainforests worldwide are threatened to disappear due to human activities like mining and land clearing for agriculture. They previously covered 14% of the total land mass, but the rate has drastically reduced to 6%.³

Experts are also concerned that the forests lose up to 10% of the inhabiting species every ten years, given the extreme tree loss of 100 acres per minute. Companies keep felling trees for logs and wood pulp, and the Amazon undergoes massive clearing for livestock rearing and crop farming.

If countries want to save their forest covers, one of the main tasks is knowing where does deforestation occur the most. From there, it will be easier to establish regulations to reduce excessive tree-cutting.

How To Protect the Largest Rainforest

Knowing how rainforests are under threat globally, you can take a stand to prevent further damage to the ecosystem through the following simple ways.

1. You can opt for recycled or second-hand materials to reduce the demand for raw materials from rainforests.
2. You can reduce unnecessary item purchasing if the raw materials come from trees, and if you must, you can go for sustainable brands that support climate justice.
3. You can support the local communities living in the rainforests by buying their products directly and visiting them to learn about their cultures.
4. By reducing your carbon footprint, you will be kinder to the environment as you save the forests from the adverse effects of climate change.
5. Support lobby groups and climate justice initiatives like the Brazil Amazon rainforest carbon offset project and the family forest carbon program that offer annual payments for efforts in protecting forest covers.

The rainforests are essential to the planet in several ways, and protecting them is the ultimate way to combat climate change. They shelter thousands of animal and plant species worldwide, store massive carbon amounts, and are the sources of livelihood for the residents living nearby.

However, deforestation has seriously threatened forest covers worldwide due to exploitative human activities like logging and mining. The cover keeps depleting every day, in turn adversely affecting the climate.

You can do your part to help save the rainforests in your continent to prevent the biggest jungles in the world, like the Amazon, Congo, and New Guinea forests, from shrinking.

Frequently Asked Questions About Biggest Jungles in the World