Choose any one of the following vegetation types: (a) Cool temperature eastern margin (Laurentian type) (b) Temperate grassland (c) Tropical rainforest Desc...

Chosen vegetation type: Tropical Rainforest (equatorial forest)

(i) Location

• Found in the low latitudes near the Equator, roughly between 5°N and 5°S.
• Chief areas: the Amazon (Congo) Basin of Central Africa, the Amazon Basin of South America, and South-East Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia); in West Africa it covers the coastal south (including southern Nigeria).

(ii) Vegetation characteristics

• Evergreen - trees keep their leaves all year because growth continues in the hot, wet climate.
• Tall trees arranged in three layers (canopy) - emergent, middle and lower storeys - with a closed canopy shutting out light.
• Great variety of hardwood species (mahogany, iroko, obeche, ebony) mixed together, not in pure stands.
• Lianas (woody climbers), epiphytes and buttress roots are common; the shaded floor has sparse undergrowth except along rivers and clearings.

(iii) Economic importance

• Timber: supplies valuable hardwoods for building, furniture, plywood and export.
• Cash crops: the climate favours cocoa, oil palm, rubber and coffee grown after clearing.
• Forest products: fuelwood, fruits, medicinal plants, rubber latex, bush meat and raffia.
• Employment, foreign exchange, and environmental value - protects soils, stores water, supports research and tourism.

(Either of the other types may be chosen instead: Laurentian - cool temperate eastern margin with mixed coniferous and deciduous forest supporting lumbering, pulp/paper and fur trapping; or Temperate grassland - prairies/steppes/pampas of tall to short grasses supporting extensive wheat farming and cattle/sheep ranching.)