Map of Madagascar

Tropical rainforest ecosystems are located between the tropic of cancer and the tropic of capricorn, usually placed around the equator, as seen above. The reason for the warm and wet climate is due to the ITCZ, Intertropcial Convergent Zone; is a rainmaking machine that travels along a path of trade winds created by the northern and southern hemisphere. The ITCZ is unstable and it moves according to the tilt of the Earth.

This map also depicts the island of Madagascar and its relationship with the world. Madagascar is a small island located in the Indian ocean, off the coast of Africa. It is located approximately between latitude 12°S and 26°S, and longitudes 43°E and 51°E. It is the fourth largest island in the world and it is a biodiversity hotspot because it has high diversity, high endemism, and an exceptional degree of threat.

This is a satellite view of Madagascar. As you can see the island is mostly covered in tropical dry forest, except a thin line of vegetation located on the east coast. This is where Madagascar's tropical lowland forest is located. It covers about 112,600 km of land though it is only a third of its original size.