|
Until the late 1980s, the small state of Rio Grande do Norte and its capital, Natal , were sleepy, conservative backwaters rarely visited by tourists. It's still true to say that there's little of historical interest among Natal's modern hotels and office buildings, and the interior is poor and thinly populated, the only place of any size being the town of Mossoro . But two things have transformed Rio Grande do Norte into one of the Northeast's biggest tourist centres: beaches and buggies . The beaches were always there, but the sometimes hair-raising buggy rides for which the state is famous have taken off only in the past fifteen years. One big difference between Rio Grande do Norte and the states to the south is in its landscape , for this is where the Northeastern sugar belt finally peters out, drastically changing both history and landscape. The region is not without income; it supplies petroleum oil directly to several major factories and is also a major exporter of fruit. However, north of Natal , the sertao drives down practically to the coast, and the idyllic palm-fringed beaches give way to something wilder as the coastline changes character, massive sand dunes replacing the flat beaches and palm trees. The further north you go, the land becomes less fertile and the sertao flatter, given over largely to scrawny cattle, scratching a living along with the people. The black Brazilian population shrinks with the sugar zone, and in Rio Grande do Norte dwindles to almost nothing.
Your Tip for Rio Grande do Norte
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Rio Grande do Norte - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Rio Grande do Norte - visit the main Rio Grande do Norte forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Rio Grande do Norte webguide section below! Thanks.
| 
