Global Rainforest Count: 7 Major Tropical and 4 Temperate Rainforest Regions

Rainforests are classified by climate into two major types. Here are the principal global regions:

Tropical Rainforests (7 Major Regions)

1. Amazon Rainforest: South America (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana) – 5.5M km².
2. Congo Rainforest: Central Africa (DRC, Congo, CAR, Gabon, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea) – 2M km².
3. Borneo Rainforest: Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei) – 400,000 km².
4. Sumatran Rainforest: Indonesia (Sumatra) – 250,000 km² (highly fragmented).
5. New Guinea Rainforest: Papua New Guinea & Indonesia (Papua) – 288,000 km².
6. Central American Rainforests: Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras – fragmented but biodiverse.
7. Madagascar Rainforest: Eastern escarpment – unique endemic biota.

Temperate Rainforests (4 Major Regions)

1. Pacific Temperate Rainforests: Coastal North America (Alaska to Central California) + South America (Chile/Argentina).
2. Valdivian Temperate Rainforests: Central & Southern Chile (and adjacent Argentina).
3. New Zealand Temperate Rainforests: South Island west coast, Stewart Island.
4. Tasmanian Cool Temperate Rainforests: Western Tasmania, Australia.

Additional smaller pockets exist (e.g., Appalachian temperate rainforest, Caucasus, Japanese Alps). Tropical rainforests cover ~1.7B hectares; temperate ~75M hectares. Both are critical for biodiversity, carbon storage, and climate regulation—and both are under severe threat.