Distribution of biome: The tropical rainforest is found between 10 ° N and 10 ° S latitude at elevations below 3,000 feet. There are three major, disjunct formations:

- Neotropical (Amazonia into Central America)
- African (Zaire Basin with an outlier in West Africa; also eastern Madagascar)
- Indo- Malaysian (west coast of India, Assam, southeast Asia, New Guinea and Queensland, Australia.

The species composition and even genera and families are distinct in each. They also differ from species of temperate forests. Species diversity is highest in the extensive neotropical forest; second in the highly fragmented Indo-Malaysian formation; and lowest in Africa. Where 5 to a maximum of 30 species of tree share dominance in the Temperate Broadleaf Deciduous Forest, there may be 40 to 100 different species in one hectare of tropical rainforest. Tropical species of both plants and animals often hav e very restricted distribution areas.

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