Mundaú Lagoon is an estuarine

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

 lagoon

Lagoon

A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...

 situated west of Maceió

Maceió

Maceió is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state Alagoas, Brazil. The name "maceió" is of Indian origin, and designates the natural spontaneously courses of water which flow out of the soil...

, capital city of Alagoas

Alagoas

Alagoas is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil and is situated in the eastern part of the Northeast Region. It borders: Pernambuco ; Sergipe ; Bahia ; and the Atlantic Ocean . It occupies an area of 27,767 km², being slightly larger than Haiti...

 state, in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

. Its total area is 23 km². The lake receives the Mundaú River

Mundaú River

The Mundaú River is a river in northeastern Brazil. The Mundaú originates in the Borborema Plateau of Pernambuco state, and flows southeast through Pernambuco and Alagoas states to empty into the Mundaú Lagoon at Maceió, Alagoas' capital. Mundaú Lagoon is an estuary, connected to the Atlantic Ocean...

, and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 and Manguaba Lagoon

Manguaba Lagoon

Manguaba Lagoon is an estuarine lagoon in Alagoas state of northeastern Brazil. Manguaba Lagoon receives the Paraíba do Meio River, and is connected to the Atlantic Ocean to the east and Mundaú Lagoon to the north by a network of channels....

 by a network of canals which cross the plain

Plain

In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...

 forming a lot of little islands. The large mangrove

Mangrove

Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...

 and the numerous kind of fish, crabs, shrimps and shellfish are its remarkable characteristics. Mundaú Lagoon is the northernmost of several coastal lakes with the same features, including Manguaba, Roteiro and Jequiá lagoons.

Besides Maceió, two other municipalities are located on its edge, the little towns of Santa Luzia do Norte

Santa Luzia do Norte

Santa Luzia do Norte is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population was 6,759 and its area is 29 km²....

 and Coqueiro Seco

Coqueiro Seco

Coqueiro Seco is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Alagoas. Its population is 5,353 and its area is 40.4 km².Located on the shores of Lake Mundaú, Coqueiro Seco is named from the frequent meetings of merchants and travelers in the shade of a coconut tree of straw burned...

.

Despite its astonishing natural beauty, the Mundaú Lagoon suffers with pollution problems, mainly due to urban sewage dispensing along its shore close to downtown Maceió. This compromises the communities who makes a living from the fishing on the lagoon. Unfortunately, this is not the only pollution problem surrounding Maceió. The Riacho Salgadinho is also the destination for most of the sewage system in Maceió downtown. In the past years, several politicians have made promises of putting sewage treatment stations to alleviate the problems caused by the pollution during the rainy season, but virtually no progress has been made.