Sertão

In Brazil, the sert?o (meaning "backland" in Portuguese) refers to the semi-arid region comprising parts of the states of Bahia, Pernambuco, Para?ba, Rio Grande do Norte, Cear? and Piau?. The plural of sert?o is sert?es.

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Geographically, the sert?o consists mainly of low uplands that form part of the Brazilian Highlands. Most parts of the sert?o are between 200 and 500 metres above sea level, with higher elevations found on the eastern edge in the Planalto da Borborema, where it merges into a subhumid region known as agreste, in the Serra da Ibiapaba in western Cear? and in the Serro do Periquito of central Pernambuco. In the north, the sert?o extends to the northern coastal plains of Rio Grande Do Norte state, whilst in the south it fades out in the northern fringe of Minas Gerais.

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Two major rivers cross the sert?o, the Rio Jaguaribe and the Rio Piranhas further east. Apart from the Rio S?o Francisco which originates outside the region, other rivers dry out after the rainy periods end.

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Brazil: The Federative Republic of Brazil (Rep?blica Federativa do Brasil in Portuguese) is the largest and most populous country in Latin America, and the fifth largest in the world. Spanning a vast area between central South America and the Atlantic Ocean, it borders Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia,...

Bahia: : For the genus of wildflowers in the family Asteraceae, see Bahia (Botany)...

Agreste: In Brazil, the agreste is a narrow zone in the states of Para?ba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia between the coastal zona da mata (forest zone) and the semiarid sert?o. The agreste actually fades out before Rio Grande Do Norte is reached owing to the breakdown of the mountain chain that give...