Maceio, capital of the State of Alagoas, has a beautiful coast where a strip of in-town beaches and most of the city's tourist-quality hotels and restaurants are concentrated. The prime beaches are Pajucara, Ponta Verde, Jatiuca and Praia de Cruz das Almas. Maceio occupies the tip of a curved peninsula, the ocean beaches on one shore and the freak lagoon - Lagoa do Mundau - on the other immediately to the south of Maceio's downtown area.