AND RIO GRANDE DO NORTE, BRAZIL. 3 



Topography. 



The states of Parahyba and Rio Grande do Norte form three 

 general topographic divisions. The first is a zone of low coastal 

 sediments of Cretaceous and Tertiary age. The second is a great 

 plateau which rises from the western edge of the coastal plain and 

 sweeps clear across the two states thus embracing more than two 

 thirds of their area. The third division consists of a series of high 

 serras which rise abruptly from the surrounding plain, and whose 

 summits are often remarkably flat. 



Fig. I. Index map. 



The coastal belt may be further divided into that part which 

 immediately adjoins the sea, marked by shifting sand-hills, low 

 swampy areas overgrown with mangroves and by general poverty 

 in vegetation ; and second, into the higher sedimentary land, the 

 limestone and sandstone areas, usually covered by a dense caatinga- 

 forest. This latter region includes the Chapadas of Apody and Sao 

 Sebastiao, rich fertile regions almost uninhabited. The topography 

 of this sedimentary region, as a whole, has a low relief, the only 

 prominent features being the line of sand dunes which stretches 

 along the coast (especially prominent in the vicinity of Natal), and 



- Caatinga is a Brazilian term for a low, brushy forest. 



