As the rainforest in Costa Rica is one of the most important ecosystems we have in the world, and it’s home to an astonishing 5% of the entire world’s animal population, we thought it’d be nice to brush up on our rainforest facts.

Fact # 1: All of the world’s rainforests combined are home to 50% of the world’s wildlife population.

Fact # 2: Rainforests are found on every continent in the world, except Antarctica.

Fact # 3: Rainforests are the “world’s thermostat”  – they regulate worldwide temperatures and weather patterns.

Fact # 4: One fifth of the world’s fresh water  is found in the Amazon River Basin.

Fact # 5: Typically, a four square mile area in a rainforest can contain as many as 1,500 different plants, 750 different species of trees, 400 bird species, and 150 butterfly species.

Fact # 6: An amazing seventy percent of the plants that have been identified by the National Cancer Institute in the US can only be found in rainforests.

Fact # 7: Less than one percent of animal species within rainforests have been analyzed for their medicinal value.

Fact # 8: The largest temperate rainforests are located along North America’s Pacific Coast. They stretch from California to Canada.

Fact # 9: The amount of products derived from rainforests is impressive and important: timber, coffee, cocoa, medicine, and anti-cancerous agents

Fact # 10: Rainforests are critical to the Earth maintaining a fresh water supply.