Brazil contains Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, famous for sweeping white sand dunes and seasonal freshwater lagoons. The park is in Maranhão State on Brazil’s northeastern Atlantic coast.
Seasonal rains fill depressions between the dunes, creating thousands of blue and green lagoons during part of the year. Unlike a conventional desert, Lençóis Maranhenses receives substantial annual rainfall, and its landscape changes dramatically between the wet and dry seasons. Winds continually reshape the dunes.
The park was created in 1981 and covers about 155,000 hectares. Its name means “Maranhão bedsheets,” a reference to the appearance of the pale dunes spread across the landscape. The best-known access points are Barreirinhas, Santo Amaro, and Atins. Although the area is often casually called a desert, its rainfall and seasonal water systems make that label scientifically imprecise.