The Great Escarpment in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

is a major geological formation that runs along much of the eastern coast of Brazil south of the city of

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

. The

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. Due to the similarity, the term '' scarp'' may mistakenly be incorrectly used inte ...

runs along the central and south Atlantic coasts of Brazil, rising sharply and separating the highland plateau from the coast. The escarpment rises steeply from the coastal plain to as much as in height. The top of the escarpment forms a drainage divide between the interior and the coastal plains. Apart from the

São Francisco River The São Francisco River (, ) is a large Rivers of Brazil, river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil (after the Amazon R ...

, most streams flow into the central basin rather than to the coast. The escarpment defines the eastern edge of the

Serra do Mar The Serra do Mar (; ) is a system of mountain ranges and escarpments in Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeastern Brazil. Geography The Serra do Mar runs parallel to the Atlantic Ocean coast from the state of Espírito Santo to southern Santa Ca ...

and other mountain ranges.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * Cliffs of Brazil Escarpments {{Bahia-geo-stub

See also

References