Re: Northeastern Brazil as mediterranean?
- To: m*@ucdavis.edu
- Subject: Re: Northeastern Brazil as mediterranean?
- From: d* f*
- Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 09:17:18 -0800 (PST)
Having lived in the northeastern part of Brazil for
two years, I can tell you that the climate is more
tropical to subtropical throughout the northeast of
Brazil, than mediterranean. The immediate coast is
moist tropical, and gets reliable and regular
rainfall, sufficient to support Coconut Palms. Just a
bit inland, the rains drop off rapidly, and the region
is tropical or subtropical desert, depending on the
altitude. This area of Brazil is known as the
'Sertao', and has regular droughts which have forced
periodic mass migrations of famished northeasterners
to seek a better life in the industrial southeast,
(Sao Paulo in particular), or to migrate to the Amazon
Basin, and follow the highways and to slash/burn the
adjoining rainforest to create farmlands, which rather
quickly degenerate to degraded pasture land for
cattle.
There are parts of the more central interior of Brazil
which do have a strong visual resemblance to
mediterranean climatic zones. The southwestern
portion of the state of Bahia, (Chapada da Diamente),
even resembles the Four
Corners Area of Arizona/Utah, with high mesas, slick
redrock, canyons and lots of cactus and succulents,
but with bromeliads in lieu of our agaves. Further
inland in the state of Goias and around the federal
capitol, Brasilia, the rolling topography and brushy
terrain appear very much like our coastal California
chapparal. One oddity of the vegetation in this area
is that all the trees have a "Dr. Seuss" like
character, the trees mostly less than 25 feet tall,
and all seem to have very twisted, distorted branch
structures, (Similar to our Aesculus californica).
Going a little further south from Bahia, into the
state of Minas Gerais, the elevation increases with
higher rainfalls as well, yet the mountains still look
very much like California, with chaparral. I would
assume that there was originally more tree cover which
was logged over, but now it is mostly herbs and
shrubs. This area is not generally considered to be
part of the northeast of
Brazil, and occurs at an altitude which does get cool
in winter, with occasional frosts. (Coffee, Cacao and
Citrus are not viable crops in this area). This is
also one of the most historic areas of Brazil, as the
area was rich in precious gems, gold and silver, and
early developed with many well preserved colonial
cities such as Ouro Preto, which means Black Gold. I
had aways thought that the inland and upland portions
of Minas and Bahia states were ripe for appropriate
plant introductions for California horticulture, but
this area has not generated as many plant
introductions as from the states of Rio, Sao Paulo and
further south.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Messenger - Talk while you surf! It's FREE.
http://im.yahoo.com/
