Ilhéus - History

Ilhéus is located on the coast in the state of Bahia, Brazil. It is situated just east of Itabuna near the mouth of the Cachoeira River on Ilhéus Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic.

An old Portuguese colonial settlement that was originally named São Jorge dos Ilhéus (1532), it was given city status in 1881.

The city was used as a setting by the writer Jorge Amado in his writings on Brazilian society.

Most of Brazil's cacao is grown in the locality, and Ilhéus is consequently one of the world's most important cacao ports. Cocoa butter, rubber, chemicals, piassava, and timber are also exported.

For over five years, the New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, USA (NY), and the Centre for Cocoa Research, Ilhéus (CEPEC), have been collaborating to conserve and better understand the flora of southern Bahia.

The city has good road and air connections with Salvador, the state capital, 130 miles (210 km) north-northeast. A hydroelectric plant northwest of Ilhéus supplies energy to the area. Pop. (1980 prelim.) 71,240.

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