Top 10 of the largest forests in the world

Forests are the lungs of our planet. It is a fact, without them, the survival of humanity would be compromised. In addition to purifying the air and preventing soil erosion, forests are also home to vast biodiversity, which is just as important for the balance on our planet. Unfortunately, human beings take these treasures of nature for granted, and keep looting, clearing and burning them. Yet, without forests, we would have no more rain, the air would be unbreathable, many animals and plants would disappear, and our quality of life would deteriorate as a result. Faced with this, it is very important to protect forests, and here are the 10 largest forests in the world.

1. The Amazon

5 million km² all the same, straddling many countries (Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, Suriname, Guyana(s), and tutti quanti). It’s big. You can go boating there like in The Broken Ear , eat piranhas, be afraid at night when the tarantulas beat on the trees around the camp, tremble as soon as you see a mosquito, be hot, come across jaguars. You can do lots of things there.

Photo credits ( CC BY-SA 2.5 ): Joel Takv

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2. Taiga

The boreal forests of Siberia are gigantic. The taiga can be considered a forest because of its immense biodiversity of fauna and flora, even if it gives more in the shrub than in the tree. In short, you can see your shadow there, but you can still get lost in it and peel yourself from the cold, being afraid of coming across wolves. If you want to go without going there, you can read Into the Forests of Siberia and immerse yourself effortlessly.

Credits photo ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ): w: ru: Vasiliy Tatarinov (talk | contribs)

3. The Congo Basin forest

All around the Congo River, a gigantic snake that crosses Africa, the Congo Basin forest extends over 2 million km² and crosses Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the two Congos, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The forest suffers from massive deforestation, like its Amazonian friend, which poses significant threats to its biodiversity. The Congo forest is also an incredible destination to observe gorillas very, very closely.

4. Daintree Forest, Australia

Daintree is not a bled, but a geologist and photographer who bequeathed his name to the forest and the national park that hosts it. It is a rainforest that is home to significant biodiversity, including frogs, marsupials and bats.

Photo credits ( CC0 1.0 ): Killerscene

5. The Cloud Forest in Ecuador

Cloud forests are forests systematically covered by a blanket of mist. There are several around the world, but the one in Ecuador is particularly important. You can come across more than 1,500 species of birds, as well as bears, pumas, and all the rest. In an atmosphere of forest film noir.

Photo credits ( Public Domain ): Fev

6. Kinabalu National Park, Malaysia

At the western tip of Borneo, the park covers 754 km² on the edge of a mountain range. Mount Kinabalu thus rises to more than 4000 meters. The park covers 4 different climate zones and is home to carnivorous plants and orchids. At the top of the mountains, we have a magnificent view of the forest massif.

Photo credits ( CC BY 2.5 ): Ariel Steiner, Israel

7. Monteverde cloud forest in Costa Rica

Another example of cloud forest, Monteverde is a forest massif that is home to exceptional biodiversity, especially birds. It is one of the obligatory tourist passages in Costa Rica and the forest is unfortunately threatened by the avalanche of visitors.

Photo credits ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ): Haakon S. Krohn

8. National Park of Chapada dos Veadeiros, in Brésil

Extending over more than 650 km², the park is particularly known for the abundance of its flora and fauna, which includes the maned wolf, a very rare specimen. Right in the heart of the country, in Goias, this is a fairly distinct rainforest reserve from the lusher, lower Amazon. The park is moreover spared by mass tourism.

Credits photo ( Creative Commons ) : Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil

9. Valdivian Temperate Forests, Chile

The southern part of the Chilean Alps is home to a set of forests classified by the WWF which are home to a high rate of endemic species. They are therefore particularly protected areas where the forest is very diverse: deciduous forests and neotropical ecozones. Extending over 248 km², the Valdivian temperate forests offer hikers unique landscapes in the world.

Photo credits ( CC0 1.0 ): Dmolina91

10. Sinharaja Forest Reserve in Sri Lanka

Established on 95 km², the reserve has very dense vegetation which poorly hides the large mammals that live there in freedom, including monkeys and leopards. 20 endemic species of birds can be observed there. They compensate for their low numbers by moving between different bird families. The park is also filled with snakes. Brrr.