![jungle forrest](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1095375024.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Rainforests around the world
Since the majority of us won’t be able to visit a rainforest any time soon, escape to a rainy, lush climate with these amazing photos. We included some fun facts about rainforests with each image so that you can learn something new while also dreaming that you’re on a vacation in the tropics. You’ll also want to learn about these unexplained mysteries of the Amazon rainforest.
![Aerial View Of Treetops In Amazon Rainforest](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1165777708-e1588793118944.jpg?fit=700%2C468)
Aerial treetops
Rainforests are hot and dense forests located near the equator. They are believed to be the oldest living ecosystems on earth that get the most rainfall. Check out these photos of the world’s most amazing trees.
![Peruvian Rainforest - Madre de Dios - Peru](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/peruvian-rainforest-madre-de-dios-peru.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
River running through
Rainforests only cover about 2 percent of the earth’s surface.
![Peruvian nature](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-582744635.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
The Amazon River
About 50 percent of the world’s animals and plants live in the rainforest. Here are 11 places on earth that are still unmapped.
![Tropical rain forest background.](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1169774939.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Looking up
Rainforests are found on all of the continents except Antarctica. The climate there is too cold.
![Euterpe oleracea (açai), Ilha do Combu, Amazon, Belem do Pará, Para, Brazil](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1090915052.jpg?fit=683%2C1024)
Lush leaves
There are two different types of rainforests, temperate and tropical. Tropical rainforests are more common around the world. Also, escape with these gorgeous river photos from around the world.
![Brazil,Amazon,Giant Victoria Regia Lilypads](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-AE4461-001-e1588793826518.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Victoria Regia lilypads
Rainforests are critical to human life because they help to supply drinking water and freshwater. These are the most beautiful glowing beaches from around the world.
![sunset](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-85441809-e1588794309967.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Warm sunset
Around 70 percent of the world’s cancer drugs come from natural products or compounds, many of which are found in the rainforest.
![tropical dense cloud forest coverd in fog, Central Africa](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-184272941-e1588794485850.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Fog moving in
Rainforests help regulate weather patterns and temperatures around the world.
![Hut at the shoreline of Congo River](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-638591634-e1588794589717.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
The shoreline of the Congo River
In just four square miles in the rainforest, you can find 1,500 flowering plant species and 750 types of trees.
![Aerial view of a bai (saline, mineral clearing) in the rainforest, Congo](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1162162026-e1588794697285.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Mineral clearing
This is a rich mineral clearing, called a Bai, in the middle of the Congo rainforest. Many animals, including elephants, buffalos, and gorillas come here to benefit from the mineral salts.
![African Great Blue Turaco](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-681147386.jpg?fit=700%2C973)
Great Blue Turaco
The Great Blue Turaco bird is native to west and central Africa. Its distinct features include its tall black crest and a yellow bill with a red tip. These are the cutest tiny animals from around the world.
![Feeding Silverback Gorilla, wildlife shot, Congo](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-636164322.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Silverback Gorilla
The majority of the animals that live in the rainforest cannot live anywhere else because they depend on the specific environment.
![Hiker relaxing at Mossman Gorge, Daintree National Park.](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-148596879-e1588794898703.jpg?fit=700%2C466)
Rocky falls
Unfortunately, rainforests are threatened every day. Common practices such as reaching, logging, mining, and agriculture destroy them. These are the most peaceful places on earth.
![Scenic View Of River Flowing Through Forest](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1186654884-e1588795054331.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Clear waters
Rainforests also help supply the world with oxygen, even though they might be thousands of miles away from you.
![Eco Tours at Daintree National Park](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-636560278-e1588795162979.jpg?fit=700%2C468)
Bridge over water
A few of the products that rainforests produce are coffee, cocoa, medicine, fruits, vanilla, and timber.
![Woman under tall waterfall, Negros, Philippines](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1203885453-e1588795239342.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Casaroro falls, Negros, Philippines
The average temperature in the rainforest is between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
![Inga Rapids of Livingstone Falls at Lower Congo River](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-967766110.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Livingstone Falls
Livingstone Falls on the Congo River consists of 32 rapids and cataracts that goes on for 220 miles.
![Young Asian woman standing on tropical in tropical rainforest setting](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1092157182-e1588795379785.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Neverending trunks
The trees in the rainforest are so dense that it takes ten minutes for the rainfall to reach the ground.
![Rainforest Swimming Hole](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-610337514-e1588795459245.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Swimming hole
There is a vast variety of flowers found in Australian rainforests. 80 percent of the flowers found in Australian rainforests aren’t found anywhere else. These are the most popular destinations in Australia.
![Man sitting in bamboo hut in the jungle](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-803014702.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Bamboo hut
Sadly, over 56,000 square miles of forest are lost every year. These are the places you need to visit before they disappear.
![Baby Eastern Lowland Gorilla, wildlife shot, Congo](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-954399014-e1588795635683.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Baby Eastern Lowland Gorilla
Out of all the animals in the rainforest, insects make up the majority.
![mossman gorge traveller](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-1205210723-e1588795713652.jpg?fit=700%2C467)
Gorge in the rainforest
Some of the other animals found in tropical rainforests are snakes, frogs, birds, cougars, gorillas, chameleons, jaguars, and turtles. Here are 17 animals that only live in the Amazon Rainforest.
![Sri Lanka Junglefowl in Sinharaja Forest Reserve](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-521656184-e1588795825165.jpg?fit=700%2C466)
Sri Lanka Junglefowl
57 percent of the world’s rainforests are located in developing countries.
![A sultry wet El Yunque Rain Forest in Puerto Rico](https://www.rd.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GettyImages-155095318.jpg?fit=680%2C1024)
Trail through the fog
At the current rate that rainforests are being depleted, it’s estimated that five to ten percent of tropical rainforest species will be lost per decade. Now, learn about the things that could happen if the Amazon disappeared.