Agreste

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Agreste

Agreste, a term associated with northeastern Brazil, designating a transitional zone between the coastal zona da mata and the interior backlands (Sertão). Rainfall is one aspect of this intermediary position: The agreste receives an annual average of 30 to 43 inches—considerably more than the arid and semi-arid sertão but less than the humid zona da mata. The agreste first emerged during the later nineteenth century as an area characterized by polyculture and a large number of independent small holders. This zone traditionally has served as a refuge during times of drought and as a commercial intermediary between the backlands and the coast.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kempton Evans Webb, The Changing Face of Northeast Brazil (1974).

Manuel Correia De Andrade, The Land and People of Northeast Brazil, translated by Dennis V. Johnson (1980).

                           Gerald Michael Greenfield

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Agreste

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