Why Are Rainforests Found Near the Equator?

By Staff WriterLast Updated April 05, 2020

The temperatures around the equator are always high, which causes a fast evaporation of water and results in frequent rain and a tropical climate. Rainforests are also located in temperate areas along the Pacific coast of the United States and Canada and in New Zealand, Ireland, Norway and Scotland.

Tropical rainforests around the equator make up only 6 percent of the surface of the Earth, and the largest one is located along the Amazon River Basin. There are two seasons in the rainforests located along the equator: the wet season and the dry season. The equator is an imaginary line that runs along the center of the Earth in a belt-like shape that is often referred to as the tropics.