If you've ever wondered what the largest forest is, you're not alone. Stuart Blackman takes a look at the answer – although, it depends on how you define a forest...
- How many rainforests are there in the world - and just what's so special about them? Uncover the hidden secrets of these special habitats
- How do animals near the equator survive the tropics? The ingenious survival tactics rainforest creatures use, including homemade sunscreen
What is a forest?
There's no universally recognised definition of a forest – how high or dense the trees must be, or how wide a treeless zone can stretch before one forest counts as two.
What's the difference between a forest and a wood?
Generally speaking, a forest is larger and denser than a wood. The Woodland Trust also points out that the original medieval meaning of 'forest' meant a preserve, where land was specifically kept for hunting. Woods formed a part of these forests and were therefore much smaller.
What's the largest forest in the world?
It’s probably safe to say that the Amazon Rainforest is the largest forest in the tropics (about 8 million km2, according to the IUCN) and is an incredible 1,900km across at its widest point.
But globally, there’s competition from the coniferous Taiga forest that shrouds much of northern Eurasia, Canada and Alaska – though to count that as a single forest, you’d have to ignore an ocean or two.
More of your wildlife questions answered
- What’s the most common plant in the world? Humans are responsible for the surprising answer
- What's an ungulate? And how this connects the tiny mouse-deer with the largest living animal on Earth
- Do any primates use weapons to kill?
- Do plants use warning colours?
Main image: Amazon rainforest/Getty