Global Tropical Rainforest List by Continent

Tropical rainforests—Earth's most biodiverse terrestrial ecosystems—occur in a discontinuous belt near the equator. Here's a continental breakdown of major rainforest regions:

Africa

• Congo Basin: World's second-largest (2M km²). DRC, Gabon, Cameroon, CAR, ROC, Equatorial Guinea
• Guinean Forests: West Africa (Liberia to Nigeria) — Upper and Lower Guinean blocks
• Madagascar: Eastern escarpment — 80%+ endemic species
• Coastal/Island: São Tomé, Príncipe, Annobón, Comoros

Asia-Pacific

• Sundaland: Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Malay Peninsula — dipterocarp dominance
• Wallacea: Sulawesi, Moluccas, Lesser Sundas — transitional biogeography
• Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao, Palawan — high endemism
• Indochina: Cardamoms, Annamites — Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia
• Western Ghats: India — biodiversity hotspot, monsoon-driven
• New Guinea: Earth's third-largest rainforest — unparalleled cultural/biological diversity
• Queensland Wet Tropics: Australia (Daintree) — Gondwanan relicts

Central America

• Maya Forest: Belize, Guatemala, Mexico — largest Mesoamerican block
• Moskitia: Honduras, Nicaragua — "Central America's Amazon"
• Osa Peninsula: Costa Rica — 2.5% world biodiversity in 0.001% area
• Darién Gap: Panama/Colombia — roadless wilderness

South America

• Amazon Basin: 6.7M km² across 9 nations — planetary climate regulator
• Atlantic Forest: Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina — 85% lost, hyper-endemic remnants
• Chocó: Colombia, Ecuador — wettest rainforest (8-13m rain/year)
• Andean Foothills: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia — elevational gradients, cloud forests

Correction Note

The original list incorrectly placed "Amazon Rainforest" under Asia. The Amazon is exclusively South American. This version corrects that error and provides a taxonomically and geographically accurate inventory.