Rainforests are chiefly of two types: Temperate and tropical. They both receive high rainfall and are filled with thick canopies of tall trees.
Temperate rainforests are those that spread along the temperate zones of the globe and receive an annual rainfall of over 140 cm. They experience moderate temperatures across the year. Climate remains misty and foggy and trees are coniferous and broadleaved. The rainforests along the Pacific coast of Canada and the U.S.A, New Zealand, Tasmania, Chile, Ireland, Scotland, and Norway are temperate.
Tropical rainforests, however, are more warm and wet than temperate types. Distributed along the equatorial zone, between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, these ecosystems receive high average temperatures and abundant rainfall that are spread constantly throughout the year.
The lowland equatorial tropical rainforests found along the Amazon Basin (South America), Congo Basin (Central Africa), Indonesia, and New Guinea are embedded with evergreen trees. However, the tropical rainforests found in parts of Southern and Central America, the Caribbean, and West African coasts, and the Indian subcontinent are deciduous and semi-evergreen. Summers are warm and wet here, while winters are cooler and drier.
The Montane tropical forests, sometimes also known as cloud forests, are found in mountainous terrains with a cooler climate.
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