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.

Climate and vegetation

Because the sertão lies close to the equator, temperatures remain nearly uniform throughout the year and are typically tropical, often extremely hot in the west.

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However, the sertão is distinctive in its low rainfall compared to other areas of Brazil. Because of the relatively cool temperatures in the South Atlantic Ocean, the intertropical convergence zone remains north of the region for most of the year, so that most of the year is very dry.

Related Topics:
South Atlantic Ocean - Intertropical convergence zone

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Although annual rainfall averages between 500 and 800 millimetres over most of the sertão and 1300 millimetres on the northern coast at Fortaleza, it is confined to a short rainy season. This season extends from January to April in the west, but in the eastern sertão it generally occurs from March to June. However, rainfall is extremely erratic and in some years the rains are minimal, leading to catastrophic drought, whilst in others rains are extremely heavy and floods occur. This variability has caused extreme famines among subsistence farmers in the region, exacerbated by the extreme imbalance of land ownership throughout the sertão. The worst of these famines, between 1877 and 1879, was said to have killed over half the region's population.

Related Topics:
Fortaleza - Drought - 1877 - 1879

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In its natural state, the sertão was covered by a distinctive scrubby caatinga vegetation, consisting generally of low thorny bushes adapted to the extreme climate. Several species of tree in the caatinga have become valuable horticultural plants, such as the cashew nut. Most of the sertão vegetation is now subtantially degraded as a result of centuries of cattle ranching or clearing for cotton farming.

Related Topics:
Caatinga - Cashew nut - Cotton

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Parts of the sertão are recognised as a biodiversity hotspot because of the unique flora.

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