Atlantic dry forests
Encyclopedia
The Atlantic dry forests are a tropical dry forest
ecoregion
of eastern Brazil
.
savannas of central Brazil and the Caatinga
dry shrublands of northeastern Brazil. The Atlantic dry forests stretch from northern Minas Gerais
state across western Bahia
state into central Piauí
. The Atlantic dry forests generally lie along the upper São Francisco River
of Minas Gerais and Bahia, and in the basin of the Gurguéia River
in Piauí. A large enclave of Atlantic dry forest lies on the Chapada Diamantina
of east-central Bahia.
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest biome, also known as tropical dry forest, is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-round, and may receive several hundred centimeters of rain per year, they have long dry seasons...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of eastern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Setting
The Atlantic dry forests cover an area of 115100 square kilometres (44,440.4 sq mi), lying between the CerradoCerrado
The Cerrado, is a vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil, particularly in the states of Gioas and Minas Gerais...
savannas of central Brazil and the Caatinga
Caatinga
Caatinga is a type of vegetation, and an ecoregion characterized by this vegetation in the northeastern part of Brazil. The name "Caatinga" is a Tupi word meaning "white forest" or "white vegetation"...
dry shrublands of northeastern Brazil. The Atlantic dry forests stretch from northern Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais is one of the 26 states of Brazil, of which it is the second most populous, the third richest, and the fourth largest in area. Minas Gerais is the Brazilian state with the largest number of Presidents of Brazil, the current one, Dilma Rousseff, being one of them. The capital is the...
state across western Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
state into central Piauí
Piauí
Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
. The Atlantic dry forests generally lie along the upper São Francisco River
São Francisco River
The São Francisco is a river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil...
of Minas Gerais and Bahia, and in the basin of the Gurguéia River
Gurguéia River
The Gurguéia River is a river in Piauí state of northeastern Brazil. The Gurguéia is a tributary of the Parnaíba River, which originates in the Chapada das Mangabeiras in the southern portion of the state, and flows north to join the Parnaíba...
in Piauí. A large enclave of Atlantic dry forest lies on the Chapada Diamantina
Chapada Diamantina
Chapada Diamantina is a region of Bahia state, in the Northeast of Brazil.The Chapada Diamantina has a dramatic landscape with high plains, table-top mesas, and steep cliffs or towers known as 'tepuy.' Before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 19th century, the only local inhabitants of the...
of east-central Bahia.