Rio Grande do Norte

Rio Grande do Norte is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the edge of the South American continent. Rio Grande do Norte is dominated by its coastline. The state is famed for its beaches and sand dunes, and the air is, according to NASA, the cleanest in South America. Two climates predominate: humid tropical, in the oriental littoral, and semi-arid, in the remaining (most part) of the State (including the North coast). It is worthy noticing that, unlike other States of the Brazilian northeast (namely: Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia), Rio Grande do Norte lacks the transition zone called agreste; the main reason for this is that those States share a large mountain chain called Serra da Borborema (which runs parallel to the coast and physically separates the humid coast from the dry sertao), and this chain enters just a few dozen miles into Rio Grande do Norte. The rainforest which once covered most of Brazil's coast had its northern end in the south of Rio Grande do Norte; the area north of Natal, the capital, is under dunes, a kind of formation associated with semi-arid climate. The semi-arid climate is characterized not only by the low level but also the irregularity of rainfall; often years go by with no or very little rain; most of the interior of the State is part of the Polygon of Droughts (an area which receives special attention from the federal government). There are also many mangroves in the state, and the interior is dominated by rainforest. Rocas Atoll in the Atlantic Ocean, 260 km Northeast of Natal, also belongs to the state of Rio Grande do Norte.