Monte Pascoal

Monte Pascoal is a 586-meter mountain to the south of the city of Porto Seguro, in the state of Bahia, Brazil. According to historians, it was the first part of land viewed by Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, allegedly the first European to arrive in Brazil, on April 22, 1500. The identification of the mountain as the first terrain officially saw by the Portuguese is based on the interpretation of the letter of Pero Vaz de Caminha and the historical tradition consolidated since the colonial period. The area surrounding Monte Pascoal is the traditional territory of the Pataxó people and integrates, since 1961, the Monte Pascoal National Park. The park is recognized for its ecological, historical and cultural significance to Brazil: it is one of the locations where the old growth Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica) remains, and has been preserved.