The origins of modern Brazil can be found in the northeast. Here lies the so-called Discovery Coast, where explorers from Portugal (Pedro Alvares Cabral arrived in Bahia in 1500) came ashore and established the country's first European settlements. The area's natural beauty is exuberant and is best known for its the islands, beaches and coves of its scenic coastline. In places like Salvador and Recife, the country offers its richest manifestation of popular culture. The Northeast Region, made up of nine states: Maranhão, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia.
 
In the Northeast we find an everlasting summer climate and the most charming beaches of the continent, from the fascinating Canoa Quebrada beaches, in Ceará, to Genipabu, with its sand dunes, in Rio Grande do Norte; Ponta do Seixas and Cabo Branco in Paraíba; Porto de Galinhas and the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, in Pernambuco; Pratagy in Alagoas; from Atalaia Velha, in Sergipe, to Porto Seguro, in Bahia, among many others.
 
In the vibrant northeast, we find varied musical styles and rhythms, such as the forró, mangue, frevo, ciranda, maracatu and the lambada. These once-derided folk styles are rapidly gaining in international popularity, and their places of origin are attracting similar attention. Carnaval celebrations are always a hoot in the coastal cities. Much of the cuisine was developed on the plantations by slave cooks preparing African recipes and they incorporated local ingredients. One can enjoy the dendê fruit (a native African palm, used for food and oil), several kinds of peppers, spices, tropical fruits, seafood (especially mouth-watering shrimp dishes like vatapá and carurú), shellfish, and cassava, possibly accompanied by the potent caipirinha (sugar cane spirits with lemon added), Brazil's most famous drink or some refreshing coconut milk.
 
Regional handicrafts may be found for sale at the Mercado Modelo in Salvador, at the Casa da Cultura in Recife and at the Feira de Caruaru in Pernambuco. Colonial architecture can be seen in Olinda, Pernambuco and in the borough of Pelourinho, in Salvador. These two places were declared "Mankind's Cultural Heritage" by UNESCO, together with São Luís in Maranhão, possess interesting examples of the use of wall tiles in its 17th and 18th century architecture. At the Serra da Capivara National Park, in the municipality of Raimundo Nonato, Piauí, we find rock paintings which attest to an early appearance of homo sapiens on the South American continent.