Bahía

Federal unit (state) of eastern Brazil, with an eastern coastline on the Atlantic; area 566,978 sq km/218,911 sq mi; population (1991)11,868,000; capital Salvador. Bahía has a low coastal plain rising to a central plateau in the west, which is crossed southwest to northeast by the São Francisco River. This plateau region is dominated by an arid climate – the Sertão region. The Paulo Afonso Falls, in the lower reaches of the river, provide a major source of hydroelectric power. There are oil, cotton, and chemical industries, and industrial diamonds are mined. The coastal belt is hot, humid, and very fertile, and produces sugar cane, cacao, and tobacco. Cattle-raising is the main economic activity in the higher parts of the state. Brazil's chief oilwells are on the coast near Salvador. Other main towns include Ilhéus, Porto Seguro, Itabuna, and Jequié.

The Paulo Afonso Falls were the third-largest in Brazil prior to construction of the hydroelectric power station and the creation of the Sobradinho Lake which displaced many inhabitants of the Sertão region and caused massive environmental destruction surpassed only by more impressive schemes such as the destruction of the Sete Quedas waterfall, Parańa state.