Forests of the World - A Visual Presentation by Continent

World Forests - FAO Illustration

Forests cover some 3.9 billion hectares (or 9.6 billion acres) which is approximately 30% of the world's land surface. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FOA) estimates that around 13 million hectares of forests were converted to other uses or lost through natural causes annually between 2000 and 2010. The estimated annual rate of forest area recovery was only 5 million hectares with a net annual loss of  8 million hectares (nearly 20 million acres).

Here are FOA maps of the most significant forest cover on all continents of the World. These forest land maps have been constructed based on data FOA data.

• Maps of the World's Forests