GEO Brasil - UNEP

SOUTHEAST REGION
The Southeast Region’s Climate
Profile is quite diversified in terms of
temperature The region’s main traits
are its latitudinal position crossed by
the Tropic of Capricorn, the extremely
uneven landscape and the influence
of systems of Disturbed Currents
It is a transitional region from the hot
climate in low latitudes to the
mesothermal climate of middle
latitudes, but its more tilted towards
tropical climates than to temperate
climates Precipitation levels are no
less important than the temperature
There are two main rainy zones: one
that lies along the coast and the Serra
do Mar and another that covers the
west of the State of Minas Gerais and
the City Rio de Janeiro The annual
precipitation level in those areas is
above 1,500 mm In Serra da
Matiqueira these figures stand above
1,750 mm and in Itatiaia’s high valleys
they are 2,398 mm Many areas in the
States of Minas Gerais and São Paulo
report frosts after the occurrence of
the Polar Front
the state of the environment in Brazil
The maximum rain level in the region
normally occurs in December or
January and the minimum level
occurs in July Out of the total
precipitation, 30-50 percent occurs in
only three months The dry season
lasts from one to six months, usually
concentrated during winter (INMET)
As the Southeast comprises the most
industrialised states, where the major
industrial complexes and
petrochemical hubs are located, it
accounts for the largest number of
human-caused technological
disasters It is worth mentioning the
spill of hazardous products and
combustible oil in the region and in
the south of the State of Bahia, with
major environmental damages,
explosions and fires
The Vila Soco fire, in Cubatao City
(State of São Paulo) is an illustration
of the population’s lack of awareness,
mainly due to the lack of information
on personal and collective risks with
urban settlement in risky areas: in
hillsides, near high tension lines, near
petrochemical complexes, garbage
dumping areas, sanitary landfills,
floodable areas, among others
The most significant natural disasters
in this region are floods; landslides in
the Serra do Mar area, which stretches
from the State of Rio de Janeiro to the
State São Paulo Droughts are
concentrated in the north of Minas
Gerais State and in Jequetinhonha
Valley, north of the State of Espirito
Santo and they cause major economic
losses
YEAR 2000 – This year, floods and
landslides were the main natural
disasters The States of São Paulo, Rio
de Janeiro and Minas Gerais were
affected, where 162,849 people lost
their homes Major events in
Southeast were the dry spell in the
north of Minas Gerais, which provoked
damages in approximately 200
municipalities, and the floods in Rio
de Janeiro City that killed over 40
people in December (Table 13)
YEAR 2001 – In the States of Rio de
167