Tropical rain forests grow near the cquator,in regions where it is hot and wet almost all year round.The biggest areas are in the Amazon Basin of south America and the Congo Basin in West Africa. The rain forests are important because they have a wide diversity of plants and animals.They are also very important in absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide,one of the major greenhouse gases, and so help to slow down the greenhouse effect ,which is why conservationists wish to prevent destruction of the rain forests.The forest canopy at the tree tops is very dense, so not much light reaches the forest floor,except in clearings where old trees have fallen,which are rapidly colonized by small plants.