Costa Verde (, ) is a coastline in
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 ...
(chiefly in
Rio de Janeiro state), which runs from
Itaguaí,
Rio de Janeiro state, to
Santos,
São Paulo state. In São Paulo it is known as ''litoral norte'' (northern coast). Brazil's Costa Verde is characterized by the Serra do Mar escarpment reaching Atlantic Ocean, creating a mountainous landscape very near the coast. It can be considered the greatest extension of
Atlantic Forest biome reaching the ocean, between
Baixada Fluminense (Fluminense Lowlands) and
Baixada Santista (Santos Lowlands).
Points of interest in the Green Coast include
Ilha Grande,
Angra dos Reis,
Ilhabela and
Restinga da Marambaia. Several parks are located there, including "
Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar", "Parque Estadual de Ilhabela", in São Paulo, "
Parque Nacional da Serra da Bocaina" and "Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande", in Rio de Janeiro.
Its name derives from its characteristic abundance of green from Atlantic Forest, known in Portuguese as ''Mata Atlântica''. All definitions of the Costa Verde cover the entirety following municipalities, in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states:
*
Itaguaí, RJ
*
Mangaratiba, RJ
*
Angra dos Reis, RJ
*
Paraty, RJ
*
Ubatuba, SP
*
Caraguatatuba, SP
*
São Sebastião, SP
*
Ilhabela, SP
If it is considered only the geographic criterion for Costa Verde definition (the coast strip between "Baixada Fluminense" and "Baixada Santista"), then the municipalities of
Bertioga, SP,
Guarujá, SP and
Itaguaí, RJ can be considered part of the Costa Verde. Nevertheless, an exact and official definition of it does not exist, and any criterion to define it is controversial.
Notes
Coasts of Brazil
{{RiodeJaneiro-geo-stub