Barreiras
Encyclopedia
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.
to Barreiras and BR 242 from Barreiras to Salvador – passes through Barreiras. There is also an airport
with daily flights to Brasília, Salvador da Bahia and São Paulo. There are no railway connections.
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.
an 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 ranch
es, some as large as districts in Portugal
.
Cattle caused the first settlers to penetrate these hostile regions, as 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 tobacco
, 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 conducted by river.
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.
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.
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 mill
s, textile factories, and tanning factories. In 1943 a branch of Banco do Brasil
opened its doors, the first bank in the city.
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.
From the decade of the 1970s to the present, the municipality has gone from 20,864 inhabitants to 120,000 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.
In 1979, the city was made the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Barreiras
.
s 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 10,000 square kilometres total planted, soybeans represent 67%. 900 producers cultivate 6,900 km², producing 1.5 million tons, which represents 4.5% of the national production. The total planted area in 2003 was 1455.86 km².
Other crops in planted area:
Data are from IBGE
Barreiras has become an alternative area to coffee production in Brazil. After coffee was introduced eight years ago, the planted area has already surpassed 40.89 km². The region has a potential area of 1,000 km² for irrigated coffee, of which 500 km² have central pivots easily adapted to the planting of coffee. In the harvest of 2003 the production was 11,249 tons.
Irrigated fruit has reached excellent results and is competing in national and international markets. The main fruits are papaya
, mango
, lemon
s and orange
s, guava
, and coconut
. Production not only supplies the national market but lemons, mangos and papayas are exported to Europe and Canada
.
The planted area of the fruit is:
Going along with the development of agriculture traditional cattle raising gave way in the 1990s to the use of high technology, with cultivated 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 embryo transfer
and artificial insemination
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 55,215 head. 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.
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.
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It is the most important urban, political, technological and economic center of the western region of the state. Its economy
Economy of Brazil
The economy of Brazil is the world's seventh largest by nominal GDP and eighth largest by purchasing power parity. Brazil has moderately free markets and an inward-oriented economy...
is based on livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
raising and agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. 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.
Important facts
- Became a city: 26 May 1891
- Elevation: 452 m
- Population: 137.832
- Total area: 7,989 km²
- Population density: 10.67 hab/km²
- Type of climate: dry, subhumid and dry.
- Annual temperature: average 24.3 °C, maximum 31.5 °C, minimum 20.3 °C
- Annual rainfall: average 1018 mm, maximum 1684; minimum 295 mm.
- Rainy season: November to January
- CEP (Postal code): 47800-000
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 BrasíliaBrasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
to Barreiras and BR 242 from Barreiras to Salvador – passes through Barreiras. There is also an airport
Barreiras Airport
Barreiras Airport is the airport serving Barreiras, Brazil.-History:The airport was opened in 1940 and served as a strategic technical stop on the route Rio de Janeiro-Miami, enabling faster flights as compared with the ones operated via the coast. Furthermore, because of the existence of a river...
with daily flights to Brasília, Salvador da Bahia and São Paulo. There are no railway connections.
Geographically it is located in the basin of the Rio Grande, which flows north-east into the São Francisco River
São Francisco River
The São Francisco is a river in Brazil. With a length of , it is the longest river that runs entirely in Brazilian territory, and the fourth longest in South America and overall in Brazil...
. Several other large rivers – the Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, the Rio das Fêmeas, and the Rio Boa Sorte – pass through the municipality.
History
It is not known who founded Barreiras. There is no register of the first inhabitants, either EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an 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 ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
es, some as large as districts in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Cattle caused the first settlers to penetrate these hostile regions, as 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 tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, beans, corn and manioc. These were exported together with molasses
Molasses
Molasses is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese word melaço, which ultimately comes from mel, the Latin word for "honey". The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet,...
, rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
, manioc meal, and leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
while European articles, kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
and coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
were imported – all commerce being conducted by river.
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
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
was made, was a factor for the growth of the town. The rubber was embarked down river to Salvador.
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.
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 mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
s, textile factories, and tanning factories. In 1943 a branch of Banco do Brasil
Banco do Brasil
Banco do Brasil S.A. is the largest Brazilian and Latin American bank by assets, and the third by market value. The bank, headquartered in Brasília, was founded in 1808 and is the oldest active bank in Brazil — and one of the oldest financial institutions in the world.Banco do Brasil is controlled...
opened its doors, the first bank in the city.
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
Brazilian Highway System
The Brazilian Highway System is the highway system of Brazil, the fourth largest in the World. As of 2010, the system consists of almost 2 million kilometers of roads, of which approximately 200,000 km are paved.As it is in the United States, Canada or most countries in Europe, larger/wider...
was finished. Soon after, the area received irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
projects financed by the government, and the city began to develop again.
From the decade of the 1970s to the present, the municipality has gone from 20,864 inhabitants to 120,000 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.
In 1979, the city was made the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Barreiras
Roman Catholic Diocese of Barreiras
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Barreiras is a diocese located in the city of Barreiras in the Ecclesiastical province of Feira de Santana in Brazil.-Leadership:* Bishops of Barreiras...
.
Economy
Barreiras is a major producer of cereals (soybeanSoybean
The soybean or soya bean is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean which has numerous uses...
s and corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
), coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, 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 10,000 square kilometres total planted, soybeans represent 67%. 900 producers cultivate 6,900 km², producing 1.5 million tons, which represents 4.5% of the national production. The total planted area in 2003 was 1455.86 km².
Other crops in planted area:
- corn: 313.19 km²
- rice: 134.11 km²
- cotton: 136.53 km²
- sugarcane: 4.2 km²
- beans: 45.5 km²
- manioc: 55 km²
- sorghum: 24 km²
Data are from IBGE
Barreiras has become an alternative area to coffee production in Brazil. After coffee was introduced eight years ago, the planted area has already surpassed 40.89 km². The region has a potential area of 1,000 km² for irrigated coffee, of which 500 km² have central pivots easily adapted to the planting of coffee. In the harvest of 2003 the production was 11,249 tons.
Irrigated fruit has reached excellent results and is competing in national and international markets. The main fruits are papaya
Papaya
The papaya , papaw, or pawpaw is the fruit of the plant Carica papaya, the sole species in the genus Carica of the plant family Caricaceae...
, mango
Mango
The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. It is also the most cultivated fruit of the tropical world. While...
, lemon
Lemon
The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...
s and orange
Orange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
s, guava
Guava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
, and coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
. Production not only supplies the national market but lemons, mangos and papayas are exported to Europe and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
The planted area of the fruit is:
- papaya: 5.3 km²
- mango: 1.2 km²
- coconut: 2.89 km²
- guava: 0.28 km²
- oranges: 1.33 km²
- lemon: 1.35 km²
- tangerine: 0.55 km²
- grapes: 0.05 km²
Going along with the development of agriculture traditional cattle raising gave way in the 1990s to the use of high technology, with cultivated pastures in corrected areas; the raising of more productive breeds; maintenance of the herd with the use of mineral supplements; periodical vaccination
Vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...
and the use of modern techniques like embryo transfer
Embryo transfer
Embryo transfer refers to a step in the process of assisted reproduction in which embryos are placed into the uterus of a female with the intent to establish a pregnancy...
and artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
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 55,215 head. 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
Barreiras 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-secondary 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 fernFernA fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s and secular trees and a constant mistMistMist is a phenomenon of small droplets suspended in air. It can occur as part of natural weather or volcanic activity, and is common in cold air above warmer water, in exhaled air in the cold, and in a steam room of a sauna. It can also be created artificially with aerosol canisters if the...
.
- 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 crystalline 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 BrancoRio BrancoRio Branco is a Brazilian city, capital of Acre. Located in the Valley of Acre in northern Brazil, it is the most populous county in the state, with 305,954 inhabitants, according to a 2009 estimate - almost half the state population....
- 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 de 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 canoeCanoeA canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s or tire tubes.