10 largest forests in the world

Forests are essential to human survival, and it's not just a poetic desire to be closer to nature. Further development of mankind requires a global approach to all elements of the environment, and forests in it occupy an important part.

This list includes the largest continuous forests in the world. Thus, we did not take into account those forests that occupy a large area, but are divided into isolated pockets. The dimensions of this vast jungle are truly impressive!

10. Mindo Nambillo Foggy Forest, South America

The list is opened by the misty forest of Mindo Nambillo. It is a rainforest with a cooler and more humid climate compared to a tropical rainforest. It is located in Ecuador and covers approximately 192 sq. km. This forest is also located near the large Amazonian forest.

It is inhabited by more than 1600 species of birds, frogs and other animals, and Mindo Nambillo owes this extraordinary biological diversity primarily to the geographical diversity of the region.

9. Kinabalu National Park, Asia

Kinabalu National Park was the first national park in Malaysia and also the very first site designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Its area is approximately 754 sq. km is more than the territory of Singapore. The forest surrounds Mount Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo, which is the youngest non-volcanic mountain in the world.

The forest is home to over 4.5 million species and is considered one of the most important biological sites in the world. Kinabalu Park is very popular with tourists due to its relative convenience.

8. Daintree Forest, Australia

Daintree Forest, covering the northeastern border of Queensland Australia, is the largest continuous forest on the mainland. It is approximately 1200 sq. km and is located north of Cairns and Mossman, along the banks of the Daintree River. If we talk about fauna, the forest is inhabited not only by more than 90% of all known species of bats and butterflies, but also by more than 10,000 species of insects.

Many native Australian reptiles and birds can be found here. Named after renowned geologist and photographer Richard Daintree, this forest is also an ancient relic.

7. Xishuanbanna rainforest, Asia

Xishuanbanna Rainforest is located in Yunnan province in southern China. It is one of the least developed tropical rainforests in the world. It covers an area of approximately 2402 sq. km, is divided into many subtypes and contains at least eight types of vegetation cover, among which fifty-eight plant species are considered very rare.

More than 3500 species of flora have been recorded here. From a scientific point of view, this forest is very important - it can be called a genetic bank, which contains the genes of many types of tropical plants.

6. Sundarban, Asia

The area of the Sundarban forest is approximately 10,000 sq. km, it occupies almost the entire territory of Bangladesh, and almost half of the forest is located in India. Sundarban is considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest halophytic (resistant to significant soil salinity) mangrove forest in the world.

In India, Sundarban is recognized as a National Park, Tiger Sanctuary and Biosphere Reserve, while in Bangladesh it is classified as a protected forest. It is home to the largest tiger sanctuary in the world and is home to the famous white Bengal tiger.

5. Tongass National Forest, North America

Tongass is a temperate moist forest located in southeastern Alaska. It is the largest forest in the United States, with 68,062 sq. km, i.e. larger than the size of Sri Lanka. It consists mainly of western Sitka spruce, western hemlock, Virginia juniper, and is covered with folded thuja.

Tongass is divided into 19 nature reserves. Due to its remote location, the forest is home to rare plant species and endangered animal species. Tongass is the real pride of the United States.

4. Rainforest Valdives, South America

Covering more than 248,100 sq. km, the Valdive rain forest is one of the largest forests in the world. In comparison, its territory is larger than the total area of Great Britain and Ireland. It covers a huge area on the west coast of South America, extending mainly into Chile, but also occupying part of Argentina.

Named after the city of Valdivia, this temperate mixed rainforest is full of fern and bamboo bushes. Conifers and deciduous trees can be found in this forest, although the most common are evergreen angiosperms.

3. Rainforest Congo, Africa

The Congo rainforest is part of the Congo Basin on the African continent, which is approximately 2,023,428 sq. km, which is more than the size of Alaska or Saudi Arabia! The Congo rain forest is the second largest rainforest in the world. Of the more than 10,000 known plant species, approximately 29% are exclusively indigenous.

Nearly 1000 bird species, over 500 fish species and approximately 500 mammal species have been recorded here. This forest is believed to play a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of the planet.

2. Amazon forest, South America

Surprise! The Amazonian Forest, also known as the Amazonian Jungle or the Amazon, is the most popular and famous of all the forests on this list and in the world is a true wonder of the world! It is a broadleaf forest that stretches across a number of countries such as Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Suriname, Guyana, and Venezuela. Its area reaches an unimaginable 7,000,000 sq. km.

The Amazon has the largest collection of diverse biological species. It is believed that 10% of all currently existing species can be found there: thousands and thousands of mammals, birds, animals and insects. The Amazon forest absorbs an unimaginable amount of carbon dioxide, thereby supporting the global climate.

1. Taiga, Russia

From a technical point of view, the taiga is more a biome than a forest - a biological and ecological system in the form of a forest. It is dominated by conifers, in particular larch, spruce and pine. Taiga covers most of northern Russia and North America below the tundra belt.

In Russia alone, the continental massif occupied by the taiga is about 12,000,000 square meters. km - on this territory India and China could fit at the same time! Wow! And if we add the area of the North American taiga, its size will become even larger. Taiga rightfully ranks first as the largest forest on our planet.