Guide to Brazil
Northeast
With warm water beaches and a natural impulse for partying, the Northeast Region, with a population of 50 million, is an area of great beauty and varied landscapes. Its nine states bond a strong cultural heritage, which is expressed in music, dance and an abundance of culinary delights — all reecting indigenous, European and African legacies.
Bahia has a coastline with some of the most picturesque beaches on the country. Salvador, founded in the 16th century, was Brazil's first capital. There, the Pelourinho neighbourhood houses (the largest collection of Latin American colonial architecture), with about 500 mansions transformed into charming hotels, starred restaurants, museums and craft shops.
Alagoas' calm waters, protected by coral barriers, offer an enticing invitation for a raft ride or a serving of coconut water by the seaside. In Ceará state, the craft of the ‘rendeiras’ is an attraction in itself, while Pernambuco state is a land of many musical rhythms.
In the countryside of the Northeast Region, Campina Grande (in Paraíba state) and Caruaru (in Pernambuco state) unite millions of people for their thematic ‘junina’ parties, while on the coastline the off-season carnivals – ‘micaretas’ – join revellers in some of the most lively music in the world.