- Restinga
: "for the municipality in Brazil's São Paulo state, see
Restinga, São Paulo ."A restinga is a distinct type of coastal tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest found in
Brazil . Restingas form on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils, and are characterized by medium sizedtree s andshrubs adapted to the drier and nutrient-poor conditions.The
World Wildlife Fund distinguishes two restingaecoregion s. TheAtlantic Coast restingas are found in several enclaves along Brazil's east coast fromRio Grande do Norte state in northeastern Brazil toRio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil, covering an area of 7,900 square kilometers (3,100 square miles) that extends from the tropics to the subtropics. Its flora and fauna shares affinities with the humidAtlantic forest of eastern Brazil.The
Northeastern Brazil restingas are found along the northern coast of Brazil, inMaranhão ,Piauí , andCeará states. Its flora and fauna are distiinct from that of the Atlantic Coast restingas, with greater affinities to the moist forests ofAmazonia .External links
* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0102_full.html Atlantic Coast restingas (World Wildlife Fund)]
* [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/nt/nt0144.html Northeastern Brazil restingas (World Wildlife Fund)]
* [http://www.restinga.net Restinga Net - Information about the restingas in Brazil]
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