Ilhéus (Portuguese: [iˈʎɛws]) is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 211 km south of Salvador, the state's capital. The city was founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the most important tourism centers of the northeast of Brazil.

Ilhéus
Municipality
The Municipality of
São Jorge dos Ilhéos
Beach in Ilhéus (June 2006)
Beach in Ilhéus
(June 2006)
Flag of Ilhéus
Official seal of Ilhéus
Nickname: 
Princesinha do Sul (Little Princess of the South)
Location of Ilhéus
Location of Ilhéus
Coordinates: 14°47′20″S 39°02′56″W / 14.78889°S 39.04889°W / -14.78889; -39.04889
Country Brazil
RegionNordeste
State Bahia
Founded28 June 1536
Government
 • MayorMário Alexandre
Area
 • Total
1,588.555 km2 (613.345 sq mi)
Elevation
52 m (171 ft)
Population
 (2022[2])
 • Total
178,649
 • Density110/km2 (290/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−3 (BRT)

Geography

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As of 2020 Ilhéus had approximately 159,923 inhabitants, with an area of 1850 km sq, and its downtown is located 1 km away from the Atlantic Ocean.

 
Map of the Captaincy of Ilhéus 1640

Climate

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Ilhéus has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen: Af).

Climate data for Ilhéus
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 34.1
(93.4)
33.6
(92.5)
32.2
(90.0)
31.3
(88.3)
30.6
(87.1)
29.0
(84.2)
28.4
(83.1)
28.4
(83.1)
29.0
(84.2)
30.4
(86.7)
30.0
(86.0)
30.6
(87.1)
34.1
(93.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 29.1
(84.4)
29.3
(84.7)
29.4
(84.9)
28.7
(83.7)
27.5
(81.5)
26.4
(79.5)
25.8
(78.4)
26.0
(78.8)
26.4
(79.5)
27.6
(81.7)
27.8
(82.0)
28.5
(83.3)
27.7
(81.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 25.9
(78.6)
26.0
(78.8)
25.9
(78.6)
25.3
(77.5)
24.1
(75.4)
22.7
(72.9)
22.0
(71.6)
22.2
(72.0)
23.2
(73.8)
24.4
(75.9)
24.9
(76.8)
25.4
(77.7)
24.3
(75.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22.2
(72.0)
22.3
(72.1)
22.1
(71.8)
21.8
(71.2)
20.9
(69.6)
19.7
(67.5)
18.9
(66.0)
18.7
(65.7)
19.7
(67.5)
20.9
(69.6)
21.5
(70.7)
22.1
(71.8)
20.9
(69.6)
Record low °C (°F) 18.3
(64.9)
18.1
(64.6)
19.1
(66.4)
18.4
(65.1)
16.1
(61.0)
15.0
(59.0)
14.4
(57.9)
12.8
(55.0)
15.4
(59.7)
16.5
(61.7)
17.7
(63.9)
18.7
(65.7)
12.8
(55.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 151.2
(5.95)
182.4
(7.18)
216.9
(8.54)
204.7
(8.06)
144.5
(5.69)
200.6
(7.90)
200.5
(7.89)
134.4
(5.29)
128.7
(5.07)
146.9
(5.78)
146.1
(5.75)
178.6
(7.03)
2,035.5
(80.13)
Average precipitation days 15 15 17 15 14 16 18 16 13 13 14 13 179
Average relative humidity (%) 80.4 80.7 81.5 83.0 85.7 86.5 86.6 85.2 83.7 83.1 82.8 82.0 83.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours 220.2 215.6 235.9 203.4 199.8 191.3 197.7 210.8 198.5 199.5 190.2 220.2 2,483.1
Source: Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (normal climatológica de 1961-1990;[3] recordes de temperatura de 01/01/1961 a
31/12/1970, 01/01/1973 a 31/12/1980, 01/01/1986 a 31/03/1989 e 01/07/1992 a 30/04/1994)[4][5]

Conservation

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The municipality contains a small part of the 23,262 hectares (57,480 acres) Una Wildlife Refuge, which surrounds the Una Biological Reserve in the neighboring municipality of Una.[6] It contains 15% of the 9,275 hectares (22,920 acres) Serra do Conduru State Park, created in 1997.[7] It contains part of the 157,745 hectares (389,800 acres) Lagoa Encantada e Rio Almada Environmental Protection Area, created in 1993. The APA is threatened by water pollution from sewage and garbage, since most of the communities have no sanitation. There are irregular settlements of squatters in the coastal area. Other threats include irregular fishing, deforestation, fires, hunting and the illegal trade in wild animals.[8]

Economy

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Cocoa from Provisão Farm in Ilhéus. Cocoa production has been a major challenge for farmers in the area of Bahia, where the “vassoura de bruxa” disease continues to be fought

The city was once one of the biggest exporters of cocoa beans.

The city's economy is based mainly on tourism, as a result of its beaches and cultural heritage that includes early Portuguese buildings, history and culinary distinctions, which bring to the city many Brazilian and foreign tourists.

Urban infrastructure

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There is a proposal for the construction of a new deep water port which due to impact has been opposed by environmental activists but has been accepted by the government as important for the economy.[9]

Transportation

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with destinations Belo Horizonte-Confins (CNF), Campinas (VCP), Salvador (SSA), São Paulo-Congonhas (CGH) and São Paulo-Guarulhos (GRU).

Culture

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Ilhéus is the hometown of Jorge Amado, the best known writer in Brazil. He wrote over 25 novels, which were translated into 48 languages and stayed on bestseller lists in 52 countries. His novels like Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon and Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands portray life and customs in the Northeastern region of Brazil. The plots of these and his other major works largely treat the lives of poor urban and rural black and mulatto communities of Bahia, as well as the land wars that raged in Ilhéus, where cocoa barons killed each other for power and cocoa plantations.[citation needed]

Sister city

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Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics" (in Portuguese). 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2019. 2018 Area Total
  2. ^ IBGE 2022
  3. ^ "NORMAIS CLIMATOLÓGICAS DO BRASIL". Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  4. ^ "BDMEP - série histórica - dados diários - temperatura mínima (°C) - Ilhéus". Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  5. ^ "BDMEP - série histórica - dados diários - temperatura máxima (°C) - Ilhéus". Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  6. ^ Lisboa, Gilberto Santos; Jesus, Guilhardes de, Júnior; Melo Lisboa, Mateus de (2012), "As limitações administrativas da união no refúgio de vida silvestre de Una, Sul da Bahia", Direito Ambiental e sociedade, 2 (1): 302, retrieved 2016-10-23{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Parque Estadual da Serra do Conduru: Ficha Técnica (in Portuguese), PESC: Parque Estadual da Serra do Conduru, retrieved 2016-10-26
  8. ^ APA Lagoa Encantada e Rio Almada (in Portuguese), INEMA, archived from the original on 2016-10-27, retrieved 2016-10-26
  9. ^ Agencia do Brasil:Noticia:September 2009: Government okays new port in Bahia State despite pressure from environmentalists
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