Barreiras is a city located in the west of the state of Bahia, Brazil. It is the most important urban, political, technological and economic center of the western region of the state. Its economy is based on livestock raising and agriculture. In recent years it has experienced an economic boom and is one of the fastest growing cities in the state of Bahia if not in Brazil. Map of the All Saints bay in 1882 Flag of Bahia Bahia is a state in the north-east of Brazil. ... Sheep are commonly bred as livestock. ... In economics, the term boom and bust refers to the movement of an economy through economic cycles due to changes in aggregate demand. ...

Important facts

• Became a city: 26 May 1891
• Elevation: 452 m
• Population: 127.801
• Total area: 7,989 km²
• Population density: 10.67 hab/km²
• Type of climate: dry, subhumid and dry.
• Annual temperature: average 24.3º, maximum 31.5º, minimum 20.3º
• Annual rainfall: average 1018mm, maximum 1684; minimum 295mm.
• Rainy season: November to January
• CEP (Postal code): 47800-000

May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Location and geography

Barreiras is located 853 kilometers from Salvador, the state capital, and 622 kilometers from Brasília, the federal capital. With a population of approximately 120 thousand inhabitants distributed over an area of 7,989 km², it is an important highway crossroads between the North, Northeast, and the Centerwest of the country. The main highway linking Brasília with Salvador--called BR 020 from Brasília to Barreiras and BR 242 from Barreiras to Salvador -- passes through Barreiras. There is also an airport with daily flights to Salvador and Brasília. There are no railway connections. Salvador and Baía de Todos os Santos from space, April 1997 Morning Street Scene, Bahia, Brazil, about 1900 Salvador (in full, São Salvador da Baía de Todos os Santos, meaning Holy Savior of the Bay of All Saints) is a city on the northeast coast of Brazil... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... Brasília from space, November 1990 Niemeyers Cathedral Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. ...

Geographically it is located in the basin of the Rio Grande, which flows north-east into the São Francisco River. Several other large rivers -- the Rio de Janeiro, the Rio das Fêmeas, and the Rio Boa Sorte -- pass through the municipality. Rio São Francisco is a river in Brazil with a length of 3,160 kilometres. ... Ipanema beach, in the South Zone, immortalised by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Morais song The Girl from Ipanema Cristo Redentor, the famous Christ the Redeemer statue at the top of the Corcovado mountain A NASA satellite image of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro (meaning River of January in...

History

It is not possible to know who founded Barreiras. There is no register of the first inhabitants either European or Amerindian. The Acroás and Chacriabás were the tribes that lived along the banks of the Iassua, the name they gave to the Rio Grande. They soon disappeared either by disease or war. What is known is that there were some ranches, some as large as districts in Portugal. Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... Ranching is the raising of cattle or sheep on rangeland, although one might also speak of ranching with regard to less common livestock such as elk, bison or emu. ...

It was cattle that caused the first settlers to penetrate these hostile regions. The great herds began to advance into unexplored lands, bathed by rivers with clear waters. It was the São Francisco River that first brought explorers up to the vast interior. At the point where the Rio Grande flows into the São Francisco a small settlement called Barras took root. By 1600 adventurers had made their way up the Rio Grande as far as rocks that impeded their further passage. Below these rocks, "barreiras" in Portuguese, a small community began. The Rio Grande was navigable by small boats and traders soon arrived in the region to support the cattle industry and the ranches. The village became an agricultural center producing tabaco, beans, corn and manioc. These were exported together with molasses, rum, manioc meal, and leather while European articles, kerosene and coffee were imported -- all commerce being made by river. Tabaco City is a city located at the eastern coast of the province of Albay in the Philippines. ... Binomial name Manihot esculenta Crantz Cassava or manioc (Manihot esculenta; also yuca in Spanish, and mandioca, aipim, or macaxera in Portuguese) is a woody perennial shrub of the spurge family, that is extensively cultivated as an annual crop for its edible starchy tuberous root. ... Molasses or treacle is a thick, syrupy derivative of the juice of the sugarcane plant or the processing of sugar beet. ... Caribbean rum, circa 1941 Rum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a process of fermentation and distillation. ... Modern leather-working tools Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides, pelts and skins of animals, primarily cows. ... Russian kerosene lamp Kerosene or paraffin oil (British English, not to be confused with the waxy solid also called paraffin) is a colorless flammable hydrocarbon liquid. ... Coffee is a drink, usually hot, prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant. ...

By 1850 a cluster of huts supplied the boats that arrived on the river. It was called São João de Barreiras. By 1880 it was still only a village of twenty huts made of branches and adobe. The great abundance in the nearby forests of mangabeira, from whose sap rubber was made, was a factor for the growth of the town. The rubber was embarked down river to Salvador. Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky emulsion (known as latex) in the sap of a number of plants but can also be produced synthetically. ...

Ten more years of prosperity meant that in 1891 it became a district of the municipality of Angical. Then it became a vila in 1901, with the municipality being created with territory taken from Angical. Finally in 1902 it acquired the status of city, having at the time more than 630 houses and 2,500 inhabitants. 1891 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1928 the second hydroelectric station in Bahia was built in Barreiras. Industries began to come to the region. The city that had been practically stagnant for decades now had packing houses, rice and cotton mills, textile factories, and tanning factories. In 1943 an agency of the Banco do Brasil opened its doors, the first bank in the city. 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ... The cotton mill is a type of factory that was created to house spinning and weaving machinery. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... Banco do Brasil branch. ...

The good economic times of Barreiras lasted until 1964. In that year the power plant was closed and the city plunged into chaos. With no means of transport, since the rivers had ceased to be navigable and the airport had been closed, the city remained isolated for almost ten years until the Salvador/Brasília highway was finished. Soon after the area received irrigation projects financed by the government and the city began to develop again. For the Nintendo 64 emulator, see 1964 (Emulator). ... The Brazilian national network of highways is the second largest of the world. ... High-altitude aerial view of irrigation in the Heart of the Sahara Irrigation (in agriculture) is the replacement or supplementation of rainfall with water from another source in order to grow crops. ...

From the decade of the seventies to the present, the municipality has gone from 20,864 inhabitants to 120 thousand and undergone important transformations. It has received public and private investments that have modified the social and economic profile. After 1990 the intense agricultural activity has caused changes in practically all the economic and social sectors. This article is about the year. ...

Economy

Barreiras is a major producer of cereals (soybeans and corn, coffee, cotton, and fruits, as well as cattle raising.

Irrigation, the level terrain, and the dry climate with well-defined dry and rainy seasons have made Barreiras a leader in agriculture. Much of the irrigation is done with central pivots.

Out of the one million total hectares planted soybeans represent 67%. 900 producers cultivate 690 thousand hectares, producing 1.5 million tons, which represents 4.5% of the national production.

Barreiras has become an alternative area to coffee production in Brazil. After coffee was introduced eight years ago the planted area has already surpasses twelve thousand hectares. The region has a potential area of 100 thousand hectares for irrigated coffee, of which 50 thousand have central pivots easily adaped to the planting of coffee. In the harvest of 2003 the production was 60 thousand tons.

Irrigated fruit has reached excellent results and is competing in national and international markets. Today there are 11.1 thousand hectares of fruit trees planted. The main fruits are papaya, mango, lemons and oranges, guava, and coconut. Production not only supplies the national market but lemons, mangos and papayas are exported to Europe and Canada. Binomial name Carica papaya L. The papaya, also known as mamao, tree melon, or pawpaw (not to be confused with the true pawpaw), is the fruit of the tree Carica papaya, in the genus Carica. ... Species Mangifera altissima Mangifera caesia Mangifera camptosperma Mangifera casturi Mangifera foetida Mangifera indica Mangifera kemanga Mangifera longipes Mangifera macrocarpa Mangifera odorata Mangifera pajang Mangifera pentandra Mangifera persiciformis Mangifera siamensis The mango (Mangifera spp. ... Binomial name Citrus × limon (L.) Burm. ... Orange—specifically, sweet orange—refers to the citrus tree Citrus sinensis and its fruit. ... Species About 100 species, including: Psidium cattleianum - Strawberry Guava Psidium friedrichsthalium - Costa Rica Guava Psidium guajava - Apple Guava Psidium guineense - Guinea Guava Psidium littorale - Cattley Guava Psidium montanum - Mountain Guava Guava (from Spanish Guayaba; Goiaba in Portuguese) is a genus of about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees... Binomial name Cocos nucifera L. The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). ...

Going along with the development of agriculture traditional cattle raising gave way in the 1990's to the use of high technology, with cultivade pastures in corrected areas; the raising of more productive breeds; maintenance of the herd with the use of mineral supplements; periodical vaccination and the use of modern techniques like embrio transfer and artificial insemmination to improve the genetic quality; confinement and semi-confinement; the production of early heifers and pastures irrigated by pivot.

The bovine herd of the region is estimated in 1.3 million head and makes up 15% of the herd of the state. Beef cattle make up 70% of the herd and the other 30% is dairy cattle..

The main breeds raised are: Nelore, Brown Swiss, Frisian, Limmousin, Chianina, Guzerá, Girolanda, Canchim, Marchigiana, Simental, Jersey and Santa Gertrudis.

Infrastructure

It has one retransmitting television station, three radio stations, and several newspapers. There are 27 post offices and 22 thousand telephone terminals installed. There are 194 schools in the school system and three post-secundary school colleges. There is a regional hospital with 168 beds.

The region is supplied by two hydroelectric plants, Correntina with capacity for 8,000 kw and Alto das Fêmeas with capacity for 10,000 kw, a network with 1,200 transmission lines, 19 substations and 85,547 urban and rural consumers.

Tourist attractions

• Acaba Vidas Waterfall -- Formed by the Rio de Janeiro, with 36 meters of free fall, it is surrounded by an exuberant vegetation of ferns and secular trees and a constrant mist.

• Redondo Waterfall -- paths with buriti palms and dense forest lead the visitor to this waterfall formed by the Rio de Janeiro. Its fall forms a great pool of cristaline waters.

• Rio Grande -- Crossing the city of Barreiras, it is the longest tributary on the left bank of the São Francisco. From the city there are 551 kilometers of navigable waters to Barra where it meets the São Francisco.

• Rio de Janeiro -- it is born in the municipality of Barreiras near the Serra Geral, and crosses savanna lands and valleys forming several pools and the waterfalls of Acaba Vidas and Redondo until it joins the Rio Branco.

• Rio Branco -- it is born near the Serra Geral in the municipality of Barreiras. It flows into the Rio Grande, some kilometers below the center of the city.

• Rio das Ondas -- with its clear waters it is one of the main recreation areas of the city. The most important clubs, resorts, and small farms are located on its banks. With rapids and waves that gave it its name it is much used by tourists who go down the river in canoes or tire tubes.

Classes Marattiopsida Osmundopsida Gleicheniopsida Pteridopsida A fern, or pteridophyte, is any one of a group of some twenty thousand species of plants classified in the Division Pteridophyta, formerly known as Filicophyta. ... Dramatic morning mist Mist is a phenomenon of a liquid in small droplets floating through air. ... Rio Branco is the capital of the state of Acre in Brazil. ... Canoe at El Nido, Philippines A canoe is a relatively small boat, typically human-powered, but also commonly sailed. ...

External links

• Official site from the city government