Agreste

The agreste (Portuguese pronunciation: [aˈɡɾɛstʃi], "countryside") is a narrow zone of Brazil in the states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia between the coastal forest zona da mata and the semiarid sertão. The agreste fades out after it reaches Rio Grande do Norte due to the break of the mountain chain that blocks air currents from the Atlantic Ocean. This barrier is what induces high rainfall in the coastal Atlantic forest zone. Most of the agreste is hilly, its hills becoming higher in the south, except near the narrow valley of the São Francisco River. This land is mostly used for mixed farming, especially fruits, of which melons are especially important. Like the sertão, the agreste is frequently affected by drought, though generally with less severe effects. Only some highland regions mostly in Pernambuco, where cities like Garanhuns and Triunfo are located, are able to reach temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius for part of the year, usually during the South American winter.