Zona da Mata

For the mesoregion in Minas Gerais, see Zona da Mata (Minas Gerais).

Zona da Mata
Costal Plain
The Subregions of Northeast Brazil 1 • Meio-norte, 2 • Sertão, 3 • Agreste, 4 • Zona da Mata
Coordinates: 21°07′12″S 42°56′34″W / 21.1200°S 42.9428°W / -21.1200; -42.9428
Country	Brazil

The Zona da Mata (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈzõnɐ da ˈmatɐ], forest area) is the narrow coastal plain between the Atlantic Ocean and the dry agreste and sertão regions in the northeastern Brazilian states of Maranhão, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia.

The zona da mata consists of a narrow plain, generally about fifty to one hundred kilometers wide and very flat and low (below 100 metres in elevation), below the northeastern edge of the Brazilian Highlands. The climate is tropical hot and wet (humid), with most rain coming from the southeasterly winds between April and July. Annual rainfall generally totals between 1300 and 2000 millimetres, with averages in June as high as 300 millimetres.

Because the climate and soil of the zona da mata are excellent for the production of sugar cane, very little of the original Atlantic Rainforest vegetation remains. Most of the major cities of northeastern Brazil, including Recife, Salvador, Maceió, Aracaju and João Pessoa, are located in the zona da mata.

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