Climate
The diverse landscapes of the southeast can have very different climates altogether â check the state articles for details. As a general rule, areas along the coastline can be hot and humid year-round â less so in winter. Northern Minas Gerais is also hot, but drier. In higher altitude areas such as São Paulo (city, southern Minas Gerais and the mountains of Rio state) winters are usually cool. Summer is the wettest season whereas winters are generally drier.
Understand
Since the 18th century, Brazilâs Southeast has been the heart of the countryâs economy. Firstly, with the intense gold and diamond mining in the state of Minas Gerais, which gave birth to several colonial towns - many of them still well-preserved, as well as the transfer of the countryâs capital from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro in 1763. When the mining activities declined, the coffee produced in the region took its place as the countryâs main export, followed by Brazilâs industrialization, which helped develop the region from the 1930s on. Today, the Southeast is still the most populous and economically powerful of the countryâs regions, besides being the epicenter of the Brazilâs cultural industries. Nevertheless, it is still to overcome problems that plague the rest of the country, such as the extreme contrast between the rich and the poor, and the lack of security in the metropolises. In spite of that, São Paulo and Rio are the main gateways to Brazil, both for business and leisure travelers, and the region offers countless attractions to all its visitors.