Restinga

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for the municipality in Brazil's São Paulo state, see Restinga, São Paulo.

A restinga is a distinct type of coastal tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest found in Brazil. Restingas form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium sized trees and shrubs adapted to the drier and nutrient-poor conditions.

The World Wildlife Fund distinguishes two restinga ecoregions. The Atlantic Coast restingas are found in several enclaves along Brazil's east coast from Rio Grande do Norte state in northeastern Brazil to Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil, covering an area of 7,900 square kilometers (3,100 square miles) that extends from the tropics to the subtropics. Its flora and fauna shares affinities with the humid Atlantic forest of eastern Brazil.

The Northeastern Brazil restingas are found along the northern coast of Brazil, in Maranhão, Piauí, and Ceará states. Its flora and fauna are distiinct from that of the Atlantic Coast restingas, with greater affinities to the moist forests of Amazonia.