The Zona da Mata (, directly translated to grass zone/grassy zone) is the narrow coastal plain between the
Atlantic Ocean and the dry ''
agreste
The agreste (, "countryside") is a narrow zone of Brazil in the states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia between the coastal forest ''zona da mata'' and the semiarid ''sertão''. The agreste fades out after ...
'' and ''
sertão
The ''sertão'' (, plural ''sertões'') is the "hinterland" or "backcountry". In Brazil, it refers both to one of the four sub-regions of the Northeast Region of Brazil (similar to the specific association of "outback" with Australia in English ...
'' regions in the northeastern
Brazilian
states of
Maranhão,
Piauí
Piaui (, ) is one of the states of Brazil, located in the country's Northeast Region. The state has 1.6% of the Brazilian population and produces 0.7% of the Brazilian GDP.
Piaui has the shortest coastline of any coastal Brazilian state at 66&n ...
,
Rio Grande do Norte,
Paraíba
Paraíba ( Tupi: ''pa'ra a'íba''; ) is a state of Brazil. It is located in the Brazilian Northeast, and it is bordered by Rio Grande do Norte to the north, Ceará to the west, Pernambuco to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Paraíba ...
,
Pernambuco,
Alagoas,
Sergipe and
Bahia.
The ''zona da mata'' consists of a narrow
plain, generally about 50 to 100 kilometers wide and very flat and low (below 100 metres in elevation), below the northeastern edge of the
Brazilian Highlands
The Brazilian Highlands or Brazilian Plateau ( pt, Planalto Brasileiro) are an extensive geographical region, covering most of the eastern, southern and central portions of Brazil, in all approximately half of the country's land area, or some 4,5 ...
. The climate is
tropical hot and wet (humid), with most rain coming from the southeasterly winds between April and July. Annual rainfall generally totals between 1300 and 2000 millimetres, with averages in June as high as 300 millimetres.
Because the climate and
soil of the ''zona da mata'' are excellent for the production of
sugar cane, very little of the original
Atlantic Rainforest
The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and the ...
vegetation remains. Most of the major cities of northeastern Brazil, including
Recife,
Salvador
Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to:
* Salvador (name)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music
** ''Salvador'' ( ...
,
Maceió,
Aracaju and
João Pessoa, are located in the zona da mata.
Northeast Region, Brazil
Climate of Brazil
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