Ceará

Ceara is a state on the northeastern coast of Brazil, renowned for its sun-drenched beaches, dunes and the lively capital of Fortaleza. A top destination for sun and sea, it is also a cradle of the forro music and dance that define the Brazilian northeast.

Ceara has a long Atlantic coastline of beaches, dunes and lagoons, backed by a semi-arid interior, the sertao, prone to drought, with a few green highland oases. The climate is hot, with a wet season and a long dry season.

Ceara is famous for forro music, humour and a strong tradition of folk crafts, literature and cordel poetry. Its coastal towns such as Jericoacoara draw travellers, and Fortaleza is a major hub of tourism and culture.

Settled later than the sugar coast, Ceara grew through cattle ranching and cotton in its dry interior. It was an early center of the abolitionist movement, freeing enslaved people before national abolition. It is a vital state of the northeast.