Northeast

The Northeast region, with an area of 1,556,001 km² (18% of the total area of Brazil) and nearly 45 million inhabitants, is divided into nine states: Bahia, Sergipe, Alagoas, Pernambuco (including the Archipelago of Fernando de Noronha), Paraíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, Piauí and Maranhão. The Northeast was once the economic heart of colonial Brazil, with Salvador as its capital and the captaincy of Pernambuco, with its white gold (sugar), as the most developed and richest province. Today the colonial architecture, a silent testimony to great wealth, still stands as an impressive monument to artistry and craftsmanship. The racial mix in the Northeast makes for a startling contrast to the predominantly white, European ancestry of the South. Centuries-old traditions have kept the folklore and art of the region alive from generation to generation.

The coastline of the Northeast stretches for thousands of kilometres from the south of Bahia to the northeast of Maranhão and boasts the most beautiful beaches in Brazil. Where the blue-green ocean water seems limitless and the sunshine eternal, some fantastic beach hotels and resorts can be found, whilst the adventure traveller has no problem discovering wild and unspoilt beaches such as Jeriocoacoara in the state of Ceará and Lençóis Maranhenses (a National Park) in the state of Maranhão. The sparsely populated interior guards natural monuments that will amaze even the most experienced traveller, such as the uplands of Chapada Diamantina in the interior of Bahia, the National parks of Ubajara and Sete Cidades and the backlands of Pernambuco. 345 kilometres off the Northeast coast there is also the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, comprising 21 volcanic islands created over 10 million years ago.