Abstract: Analyzing the nucleus of desertification called Inhamuns, located in the state of Ceará - Brazil, it is observed that the relief represented by its orography, behaves as one of the influencing factors of such process. In this article, we seek to understand the role of the relief conditioning the desertification process, based on the analyzis between relief, climate and anthropic influence. For this, a detailed mapping of relief compartmentalization was carried out, the orography was related to the spatialization of centenary rainfall data and to the aridity index represented by 32 years of data, and the degradation levels were verified, between 1991 and 2017, in the main portions of interest. With the results it is verified that, the climate, when interacting with the relief, configures different characteristics on the windward and leeward sides, seen identifications of lower total rainfall and greater aridity in the desertified portion to leeward; anthropic action is present in areas inside and outside the desertification core, with growth in line shapes throughout the study area, given the priority use and occupation, in sectors close to water bodies and river plains; the relief compartments represented by sertaneja depressions 01 and 02 and residual massifs, showed an increase in environmental degradation; the primary factor in which there are fluctuations in your data, between desertified and non-desertified areas, given the presence of relief, it's the climatic. In view of this, it is understandable that, the configuration of the deserted core of Inhamuns, is the result of anthropic action on the effect of the semi-arid climate, downwind of a relief, over the years.
Keywords: Desertification; Orography; Climate.
