Ilhéus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ilhéus | |
 (June 2006) |
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| Nickname: "Princesinha do Sul" | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Region | Nordeste |
| State | Bahia |
| Founded | 28 June 1881 |
| Mayor | Valderico Reis |
| Area | |
| - City | 1,840.991 km² |
| Elevation | 52 m |
| Population | |
| - City (2006) | 220,943 |
| - Density | 120/km² |
Ilhéus is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 430 km south of Salvador, the state's capital. The city was originally 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.
The city's economy is based mainly on tourism, as a result of its beautiful beaches and a rich cultural heritage that includes early Portuguese buildings, history and culinary distinctions, which bring to the city many Brazilian and foreign tourists. Ilheus has approximately 222,000 habitants, with an area of 1850 km sq, and its downtown is located 1 km away from the Atlantic Ocean. Once one of the biggest producers of cocoa, the city depends almost entirely on tourism. Ilhéus has a very good infrastructure for tourism, including excellent hotels and many travel agencies.
In 2005, Brazil's first gay resort hotel was inaugurated on the southern beach area of Ilhéus, near the Jorge Amado International Airport.
Ilhéus is also the hometown of Jorge Amado, the best known and most popular 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.
- Ilhéus Virtual (in Portuguese)
