The Bahia coastal forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests

Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....

 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...

, part of the larger Atlantic Forest region.

Setting

The Bahia coastal forests occupy a belt approximately 150 km (93.2 mi) wide along the Atlantic

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 coast of eastern Brazil, in the states of 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...

 and Espirito Santo

Espírito Santo

Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation "ES". Its capital is Vitória and the largest city is Vila Velha. The name of the state means literally "holy spirit" after the Holy Ghost of Christianity...

. The Itapicuru River

Itapicuru River

The Itapicuru River is a river in Bahia state of eastern Brazil. The Itapicuru rises in the northern part of the state, and flows east to empty into the Atlantic Ocean....

 forms the northern boundary of the ecoregion, which extends south to near the Itapemirim River

Itapemirim River

-References:*...

. The ecoregion is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 and the enclaves of the Atlantic Coast restingas

Atlantic Coast restingas

Atlantic Coast restingas are an ecoregion of Brazil, part of the Atlantic Forest region. Restingas are coastal forests which form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium sized trees and shrubs adapted to the dry and nutrient-poor conditions found...

 forests and Bahia mangroves

Bahia mangroves

The Bahia mangroves is a tropical mangrove ecoregion of northeastern Brazil occupying minor bays, estuaries, and river inlets along the coast from Recôncavo on Todos os Santos Bay in Bahia State north to the Doce River in Espírito Santo State. The total ecoregion comprises 2,100 square kilometers...

. To the west, the forests transition to the drier Bahia interior forests

Bahia interior forests

The Bahia interior forests is an ecoregion of eastern Brazil. It is part of the larger Atlantic forests complex, and lies between the coastal Atlantic moist forests and the dry shrublands and savannas of Brazil's interior.-Setting:...

.

The forests cover Tertiary sedimentary plateaus extending from near the seacoast westward to the lower slopes of the Serra da Mantiqueira. The prevalent soils are tropical nutrient-poor yellow-red latosol

Latosol

Latosol is a name given to soils found under tropical rainforests. They are red or yellowish-red in colour throughout and they do not have distinct horizons like a podsol. The red colour comes from the oxides of iron and aluminium which remain in the soil...

 and podzols.

Climate

The ecoregion has a tropical climate

Tropical climate

A tropical climate is a climate of the tropics. In the Köppen climate classification it is a non-arid climate in which all twelve months have mean temperatures above...

 with annual rainfall ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 mm, evenly distributed throughout the year. The southern portion of the ecoregion may experience a dry period from May through September.

Fauna

Endangered mammals in the ecoregion include the Maned Three-toed Sloth

Maned Three-toed Sloth

The maned sloth , also known as the ai , is a three-toed sloth that lives only in Brazil. It is one of only four species of three-toed sloth.-Distribution and habitat:...

 (Bradypus torquatus) and Golden-headed Lion Tamarin

Golden-headed Lion Tamarin

The golden-headed lion tamarin is a lion tamarin endemic to Brazil. It is found only in the lowland and premontane tropical forest fragments in the state of Bahia, and therefore is considered to be an endangered species. It lives at heights of . Its preferred habitat is within mature forest, but...

 (Leontopithecus chrysomelas).

Conservation and threats

Less than 5% of the original forest cover remains intact. Protected areas in the ecoregion include Sooretama Biological Reserve

Sooretama Biological Reserve

Sooretama Biological Reserve is a biological reserve in Brazil....

 and Linhares Forest Reserve.