BAHIA

estado (state) of eastern Brazil. It is bounded on the northwest by Piau state, north by Pernambuco state, northeast by Alagoas and Sergipe states, east by the Atlantic Ocean, southeast by Esprito Santo state, south by Minas Gerais state, and west by Tocantins and Gois states. Bahia has an area of 216,613 square miles (561,026 square km). The capital, Salvador, a port commanding an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, was once commonly known also as Bahia (Bay), whence the state derives its name. On All Saints' Day, November 1, 1501, Portuguese explorers entered the bay on which Salvador now stands: they therefore named it Baa de Todos os Santos, or All Saints' Bay. The subsequent occupation of the vicinity by the Portuguese led, in 1549, to the merging of four captaincies under the first governor-general of Brazil, Tom de Sousa, who in the same year founded Salvador as the seat of his government. The colonization of the territory began in the Recncavothat is, in the coastal regionwhere sugarcane and tobacco were grown for export and other crops raised for the settlers' food. In the semiarid interior, cattle raising was considerably stimulated in the 18th century, when the discovery of gold and gems in the Diamantina Upland attracted more settlers. When the Empire of Brazil was proclaimed in 1822, Bahia was still controlled by forces loyal to Portugal; but on July 2, 1823, Brazilian troops occupied Salvador, and Bahia became a province of the empire. In 1889, under the republic, Bahia became a state of the Brazilian Federation. During the 19th century there was a revival of agriculture: it was the golden age for sugarcane, coffee also was grown on a large scale, cotton production increased, and the forests of the south were turned into profitable plantations of cacao. Rubber plantations were developed at the beginning of the 20th century. The Diamantina Upland and its northern extension, the Tombador Mountains, run north across Bahia from the borders of Minas Gerais and constitute the line of greatest elevation. The Diamantina reaches its maximum elevation in Almas Peak, which is 6,070 feet (1,850 m) in height. From the east and west of this dorsal ridge descend plateaus that vary in elevation between about 650 and 2,600 feet (200 and 800 m) and are characterized by inselbergs (steep-sided, isolated hills that have been left by erosion). The eastern edge of the highlands terminates in the heights overlooking the coastal plain. The major river is the So Francisco, which rises in Minas Gerais and flows north across western Bahia before turning eastward in a great curve to form the frontier between Bahia and Pernambuco and between Bahia and Alagoas, on its long way down to the Atlantic. Flowing directly to the coast are several minor rivers, which originate in the Diamantina Upland or in the Espinhao Mountains of Minas Gerais. Along Bahia's coastline there are areas where annual rainfall exceeds 55 inches (1,400 mm), as well as sandy stretches on which the Brazilian coconut and the mangabeira rubber tree flourish, while the mud of the estuaries favours mangroves. The sandy clay soil of the narrow coastal plain supports evergreen, broad-leaved tropical forests. The zone of transitional forest to the west consists of deciduous shrubs and smaller plants. In the dry interior zone, which occupies most of the land area and virtually the entire northwestern half of the state, the rainy season is irregular, and the annual rainfall never exceeds 24 inches (610 mm). The dry zone's landscape is open and bare, and plants such as cactus predominate. Peccary, tapir, and the two-toed sloth live in the forests. In open country the giant armadillo, the scarlet ibis, and the king vulture can be found. Bahia's population consists of a mulatto majority, with sizable black and white minorities. Population density varies considerably. The greatest concentrations of Bahia's population reside in the cities and towns of its eastern coastal area, particularly in the Recncavo. Salvador is the largest city; other urban centres include Ilhus, Itabuna, Feira de Santana, and Vitria da Conquista. The arid interior, on the other hand, is sparsely populated and has relatively few towns. Of the total population, about half live in urban areas. The language of the people is Portuguese, but it is influenced to some extent by African idioms and slightly by various Indian languages. Roman Catholicism is professed by the overwhelming majority of the population. Protestantism, spiritualism, and other beliefs claim small minorities of the population. Many people practice the rituals of Candombl, a syncretist religious sect, but declare themselves Roman Catholics. The standard of living is low. Hygiene is defective, even in urban areas, and illiteracy is widespread, despite efforts to improve medical services and sanitation and to expand schooling. Salvador has two universities, the Federal University of Bahia (1946) and the Catholic University of Salvador (1961). Among Bahia's mineral resources are petroleum, natural gas, lead, copper, chrome, tin, barite, manganese, magnesite, titanium, hematite, quartz, kaolin, marble, asbestos, and amethyst. There is also a hydroelectric potential in the state: the So Francisco River has been harnessed by the Paulo Afonso Dam at its major waterfall. The most important crops in Bahia are cacao, cassava, vegetable oils, piassava, and sisal. Timber is obtained from the forests. Cattle are raised in many parts of the state, and yield leather and skins. Bahia's agriculture was severely threatened by recurring droughts in the latter part of the 20th century. Heavy industry is represented by a petroleum refinery and by cement works and ironworks. Salvador, Feira de Santana, Aratu, and Ilhus are the state's industrial centres. Energy is mostly hydroelectric, especially from the Paulo Afonso project. Roads and railways stretch across the state but are more concentrated in the Recncavo. Prominent among cultural institutions are the Bahia Academy of Letters, the Bahia Geographical and Historical Institute, and the Bahia Institute of Music. Pop. (1991 revised prelim.) 11,855,157; (1995 est.) 12,646,000.