Guarumbi, part of Serra do Mar in the state of Paraná

Serra do Mar (Portuguese for Mountain Range of the Sea) is a 1,500 km long system of mountain ranges and escarpments in Southeastern Brazil, which runs in parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast, from the state of Espírito Santo to Santa Catarina. The main escarpment forms the boundary between the sea-level littoral and the inland plateau (planalto), which has a mean altitude of 400 to 500 m. The mountain ranges are discontinuous in several places and receive individual names, such as Serra da Mantiqueira, Serra de Bocaina, Serra de Paranapiacaba, Serra Negra, Serra dos Órgãos, etc. It also extends to some large islands near the coastline, such as Ilha Bela and Ilha Grande. The highest point of Serra do Mar is the Pico das Agulhas Negras, located in the Parque Nacional de Itatiaia in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, with a height of 2,878 m. A view of the Serra do Mar, in the state of Paraná, Brazil File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A view of the Serra do Mar, in the state of Paraná, Brazil File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The most general definition of mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands. ... In geology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves an elevation differential, often involving high cliffs. ... COAST, an acronym for Cache On A STick, is a packaging standard for modules containing SRAM used as an L2 cache in a computer. ... For other places that have this name, see Espírito Santo (disambiguation) Espírito Santo is one of the states of southeastern Brazil, often referred to by the abbreviation ES. With its capital at Vitória. ... Santa Catarina is a state in southern Brazil. ... A littoral is the region near the shoreline of a body of fresh or salt water. ... For alternate uses of the term, see Plateau (disambiguation). ... Serra dos Órgãos (the Organ Hills) is a national park in Brazil about one hour drive from Rio de Janeiro. ... Pico das Agulhas Negras The third highest mountain in Brazil, standing at 2,878 meters above sea level. ... Ipanema beach A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese) is the name of both a state and a city in southeastern Brazil. ... São Paulo is a state in Brazil. ...

Geologically, the Serra do Mar belongs to the massive crystalline rock platform that forms Eastern South America and tectonically is very stable. Most of the elevations of Serra do Mar were formed about 60 million years ago. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ...

At the time of discovery of Brazil (1500), Serra do Mar supported a rich and highly diversified ecosystem, composed mainly by a lush tropical rain forest, called Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Jungle). Due to to urbanization and deforestation, however, most of the forest cover was destroyed and it remains almost exclusively in the steep escarpments facing the sea. A chain of national and state parks, ecological stations and biological reservations now protect the Mata Atlântica and its biological heritage, but acid rain, pollution, poachers, clandestine loggers, forest fires and encroachment by urban areas and farms are still promoting active destruction, particularly around cities. The largest metropolis of Curitiba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Vitória are near the Serra do Mar. Events Europes population was ~60 million. ... A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall. ... A typical ecosystem of Mata Atlântica at Serra do Mar Mata Atlântica is the Atlantic Rain Forest formerly covering the wet coastal hills behind the Atlantic beaches of Brazil (mostly in the Serra do Mar. ... Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non-forest. ... State park is a term used in the United States and in Mexico for an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or other reason, and under the administration of the government of a U.S. state or one of the states of Mexico. ... Acid rain is defined as rain with a pH of below 5. ... Pollution is the release of harmful environmental contaminants, or the substances so released. ... Poacher has two different meanings: A poacher is someone who engages in poaching – the theft or illegal killing of animals or plants, or sometimes artifacts. ... A logger is someone who is employed in the logging industry to cut down and transport trees to market. ... Fire in San Bernardino, California Mountains (image taken from the International Space Station) A wildfire, also known as a forest fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, or bushfire (in Australasia), is an uncontrolled fire in wildland often caused by lightning; other common causes are human carelessness and arson. ... Curitiba is a city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Paraná. In 2001 it had a population of some 1,600,000 people. ... Sao Paulo and São Paulo (city) redirect here. ... Ipanema beach A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in Portuguese) is the name of both a state and a city in southeastern Brazil. ... Colonial building which today is seat to the Vitória Prefectural Government Vitória is the capital of the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. ...

Reforestation and recuperation of biological diversity are notorious difficult to occur in destroyed rain forest habitats, but Rio de Janeiro city boasts of such success in the Mata Atlântica in its city parks.

See also

• Geography of Brazil

Map of Brazil The country of Brazil occupies a large portion of eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. ...

External links

• Gallery of Images, Serra do Mar (http://www.marumby.tur.br/fotos01.01.html). A breathtaking collection of images of beautiful Serra do Mar.