Do you know which country has the largest forest on Earth? (It's not Brazil)

[jw5]

It is no small thing to say that forests have an important role in the health of the planet. Aside from being a source of paper and fuel, trees are the second-largest contributor to all of the earth's oxygen, second only to the ocean. But forests as we know them are always at risk. Half of the forestry that the earth has lost since the last ice age has occurred in the past 100 years, thanks largely to industrialization and agriculture. But where are the world's biggest forests located? And how big are they compared to all land on earth?

 

[jw5]

15. Venezuela -

This Latin American country's forestry covers half of its territory. Venezuela's forests span 178,000 sq. miles (462,000 sq. km), which make up 1.1% of the world's total forestry. But between 1990 and 2010, the country lost a staggering 11.1% of its forest cover to deforestation.

 

[jw5]

15. Venezuela -

Pictured here is the keel-billed toucan, a colorful bird species native to the forests of Venezuela, Southern Mexico, and Colombia. Interestingly, Venezuela is also home to the world's tallest uninterrupted waterfall, Angel Falls.