What is the largest rainforest in the world?

The Amazon Rainforest is recognized as the largest rainforest in the world, encompassing over 5.5 million square kilometers across several countries, including Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. Its vast expanse makes it not only the largest tropical rainforest but also a critical environment for biodiversity, housing an estimated 390 billion individual trees and featuring a multitude of wildlife species, many of which are not found anywhere else on Earth.

The Amazon plays a vital role in global ecology and climate regulation, significantly influencing atmospheric processes and serving as a major carbon sink. Its extensive river systems, such as the Amazon River, add to its size and ecological complexity. The richness in flora and fauna, combined with its sheer size, solidifies the Amazon's classification as the largest rainforest globally.

In contrast, the Congo Rainforest, while substantial and incredibly biodiverse, ranks as the second-largest rainforest. The Sundarbans is noted for its unique mangrove ecosystem, and the taiga, or boreal forest, is not a rainforest but consists of coniferous forests found in colder climates, primarily in the Northern Hemisphere. Each of these alternatives highlights important ecological regions but does not surpass the Amazon in terms of size or significance as a rainforest.