Sertão

In Brazil, the sertão (meaning "backland" in Portuguese) refers to the semi-arid region comprising parts of the states of Bahia, Pernambuco, Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará and Piauí. The plural of sertão is sertões.

Related Topics:
Brazil - Bahia - Pernambuco - Paraíba - Rio Grande do Norte - Ceará - Piauí

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Geographically, the sertão consists mainly of low uplands that form part of the Brazilian Highlands. Most parts of the sertão 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 Ceará and in the Serro do Periquito of central Pernambuco. In the north, the sertão 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.

Related Topics:
Agreste - Minas Gerais

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

Related Topics:
Rivers - Rio Jaguaribe - Rio Piranhas - Rio São Francisco

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