The agreste (, "countryside") is a narrow zone of

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

in the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

s of

Rio Grande do Norte Rio Grande do Norte (, , ) is one of the states of Brazil. It is located in the northeastern region of the country, forming the northeasternmost tip of the South American continent. The name literally translates as "Great Northern River", refe ...

Paraíba Paraíba ( , ; ) is a states of Brazil, 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 i ...

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

Alagoas Alagoas () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco (N and NW); Sergipe (S); Bahia (SW); and the Atlantic Ocean (E). Its capital is ...

Sergipe Sergipe (), officially State of Sergipe, is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil. Located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region along the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the country, Sergipe is the smallest state in Brazil by geogra ...

and

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

between the coastal forest '' zona da mata'' and the semiarid ''

sertão The ''sertão'' (, plural ''sertões'') is the " hinterland" or " backcountry" of Brazil. The word refers both to one of the four sub-regions of the Northeast Region of Brazil or the hinterlands of the country in general (similar to the specific ...

''. The agreste fades out after it reaches

due to the break of the mountain chain that blocks air currents from the Atlantic Ocean. This barrier is what induces high rainfall in the coastal Atlantic forest zone. Most of the agreste is hilly, its hills becoming higher in the south, except near the narrow valley of the São Francisco River. This land is mostly used for mixed farming, especially fruits, of which melons are especially important. Like the sertão, the agreste is frequently affected by drought, though generally with less severe effects. Only some highland regions mostly in

, where cities like

Garanhuns Garanhuns is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality in the Agreste region of the States of Brazil, state of Pernambuco, located 230 kilometers from the state capital, Recife. It covers an area of km² and belongs to the Caruaru Inter ...

and Triunfo are located, are able to reach temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius for part of the year, usually during the South American winter.

Climate

The climate is hot and sub-humid, with rainfall in the area's principal city of

Campina Grande Campina Grande is the second most populous Brazilian city in the State of Paraíba after João Pessoa, Paraíba, João Pessoa, the capital. It is considered to be the most important city of the Northeastern Brazilian subregion called ''agreste''. ...

averaging about 700 millimetres per year; it ranges from less than 10 millimetres in October and November to about 120 millimetres in May and June.

References

Nonfiction *Michael H. Glantz; ''Currents of Change : El Niño's Impact on Climate and Society''; published 1996 by Cambridge University Press. *Michael H. Glantz (editor); ''Drought Follows The Plow: Cultivating Marginal Areas''; published 1994 by Cambridge University Press. *Fagan, Brian; ''Floods, Famines, and Emperors: El Niño and the Fate of Civilizations''; published 2000 by Basic Books. *Nicholas G. Arons; ''Waiting for Rain: The Politics and Poetry of Drought in Northeast Brazil''; published 2004 by University of Arizona Press. *

Euclides da Cunha Euclides da Cunha (, January 20, 1866 – August 15, 1909) was a Brazilian journalist, sociologist and engineer. His most important work is '' Os Sertões'' (''Rebellion in the Backlands''), a non-fictional account of the military expeditions ...

, ''Rebellion in the Backlands'' Fiction * Graciliano Ramos, '' Vidas Secas'' ("Barren Lives"), novel {{Authority control Brazilian literature Northeast Region, Brazil Climate of Brazil Droughts

Climate

See also

References