Serra da Capivara National Park


World Heritage Identification Number: 606

World Heritage since: 1991

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil

Continent: Americas

UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean

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Serra da Capivara National Park: A Window into Ancient Human History

The Serra da Capivara National Park, located in the northeastern region of Brazil, stands as a testament to one of the oldest human communities in South America. Established in 1987 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, this protected area offers a unique glimpse into the lives of our ancestors dating back over 25,000 years.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

Many of the numerous rock shelters in the Serra da Capivara National Park are decorated with cave paintings, some more than 25,000 years old. They are an outstanding testimony to one of the oldest human communities of South America.

Encyclopedia Record: Serra da Capivara National Park

Serra da Capivara National Park is a national park in the Northeastern region of Brazil. The area has many prehistoric paintings.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 130,600 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (iii) — Unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition

Coordinates: -8.718634 , -42.652436

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Image of Serra da Capivara National Park

Cleude, Public domain

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

São Francisco Square in the Town of São Cristóvão
649 km — Brazil
Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia
654 km — Brazil
Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
689 km — Brazil
Historic Centre of São Luís
712 km — Brazil
Peruaçu River Canyon
727 km — Brazil

Country Information: Brazil

Flag of Brazil

Official Name: Federative Republic of Brazil

Capital: Brasília

Continent: Americas

Population (2024): 211,998,573

Population (2023): 211,140,729

Population (2022): 210,306,415

Land Area: 8,358,140 sq km

Currency: Brazilian real (BRL)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Serra da Capivara National Park are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Serra da Capivara National Park, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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