: ''For other forest zones, see

Zona da Mata (coastal) The Zona da Mata (, directly translated to grass zone/grassy zone) is the narrow coastal plain between the Atlantic Ocean and the dry '' agreste'' and '' sertão'' regions in the northeastern Brazilian states of Maranhão, Piauí, Rio Grande do ...

for Brazil, or the African forest zone.'' Zona da Mata is a mesoregion of the state of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, situated in the southeastern part of the state, along the border of the states of Minas Gerais,

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

and Espírito Santo. The region has a lot of hills, and the heights varies from 100 to 1,900 meters. The most important river is the

Paraíba do Sul The Paraíba do Sul (), or simply termed Paraíba, is a river in southeast Brazil. It flows west to northeast from its farthest source at the source of the river Paraitinga to the sea near Campos dos Goytacazes. The river receives its name when ...

. Because of its geography it produces one of the best

coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...

s of the region; coming first in 2007 in the annual Brazilian Quality Coffee for Espresso Awards (run by the Italian coffee company

Illy Illycaffè S.p.A. (branded and stylised as illy) is an Italian coffee company specializing in espresso, headquartered in Trieste. Illy markets its coffee globally in silver and red pressurized, oxygen-free cans; operates a network of cafes on s ...

). Zona da Mata was the richest region of Minas Gerais from the 1850s to the 1930s due to coffee and milk production. Today - along with

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

furniture Furniture refers to movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (tables), storing items, eating and/or working with an item, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Fu ...

siderurgy An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloomeri ...

and automotive industries are important to the economy of the region. Some important roads cross the region, like the BR-116, BR-040 and BR-267. The mesoregion is composed of the following microregions. * Cataguases *

Juiz de Fora Juiz de Fora (, '' Outsider Judge''), also known as J.F., is a city in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, approximately from the state border with Rio de Janeiro. According to 2020 estimates the current population is about 57 ...

* Manhuaçu *

Muriaé Muriaé is a municipality in southeast Minas Gerais state, Brazil. It is located in the Zona da Mata region and its population in 2020 (IBGE) was approximately 109,392 inhabitants. Important Facts *Municipal Limits Ervália, Santana de Catagu ...

* Ponte Nova * Ubá * Viçosa The most important and populous city of the region is

with 500,000 inhabitants, roughly 25% of the Zona da Mata's population. Other important cities are: *

Além Paraíba Além Paraíba is a city in the southeastern Zona da Mata region of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The name indicates its position on the far bank (from Rio de Janeiro) of the Rio Paraíba do Sul. It was known as ''São José d'Além Parahyba'' until 192 ...

Carangola Carangola is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Zona da Mata. It is a university town, a main urban hub, and a commercial and industrial region. See also * List of municipalities in Minas ...

* Cataguases *

Leopoldina Leopoldina may refer to: * Colônia Leopoldina, a Brazilian municipality in the state of Alagoa * Leopoldina, Minas Gerais, a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais * Maria Leopoldina of Austria (1797-1826), consort of emperor Pedro I ...

* Manhuaçu *

* Ponte Nova *

Santos Dumont Alberto Santos-Dumont ( Palmira, 20 July 1873 — Guarujá, 23 July 1932) was a Brazilian aeronaut, sportsman, inventor, and one of the few people to have contributed significantly to the early development of both lighter-than-air and heavier- ...

* Ubá * Viçosa * Visconde do Rio Branco

Bibliography

"The Forbidden Lands: Colonial Identity, Frontier Violence, and the Persistence of Brazil's Eastern Indians, 1750-1830". Harold Langfur. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2006. Paperback, 2009.

External links

The Zona da Mata

The historical geographical occupation of the Zona da Mata: on the "Forbidden lands"

Cartography and occupartion of the territory: the Zona da Mata in the 18th century and in the first half of the 19th century

References

Mesoregions of Minas Gerais {{MinasGerais-geo-stub