Macrodiagnostico da Zona Costeira do Brasil. Ministerio do Meio Ambiente, 199G. Brasilia: Ministerio do Meio Ambiente, dos Recursos Hidricos e da Amazonia Legal, Programa Nacional de Gerenciameto Costeiro, 280p. [Ministerio do Meio Ambiente, dos Recursos

Abstract

This comprehensive atlas of the Brazilian coast treats a wide variety of themes in administrative units that are similar to counties in many other countries. The atlas is remarkable in its exhaustive treatment of coastal features and characteristics of adjacent hinterlands. The coastal zone, as shown in the atlas, extends many kilometers inland but the landward boundary of study is variable and depends on the nature of the region being considered. Definition of the coastal zone was based on various macro-diagnostic criteria that are elaborated according to the geographic locality. A series of maps at a scale of 1:100,000 cover the Brazilian coast, which spans more than thirty-five degrees of latitude from 4°30' N to 33°44' S Latitude. The length of the coast, including only significant embayments and irregular indentations, is about 8500 km.