Log in Sign up
Back to Discover
🗺️

Salvador, Bahia

geography Maturity 11-13

Salvador is a big city.

Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
It is in Brazil. The city is by the sea.
Salvador BA.jpg
Salvador BA.jpg
It has great music and food. You might like the big street party there! Do you like music?

40 words

Salvador is a big city in Brazil.

Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
It sits by the blue ocean.
Salvador BA.jpg
Salvador BA.jpg
The city is on a small piece of land. It has a bay on one side.

The city has two levels. One part is high up. The other part is low down.

Entardecer elevedor lacerda.jpg
Entardecer elevedor lacerda.jpg
An elevator helps people move between them.

Salvador is very old. It was once the first capital of Brazil. It has many pretty buildings.

Solar Ferrão fachada 2008.jpg
Solar Ferrão fachada 2008.jpg
Some buildings are very old.

Many people love the music there. The city even has a big street party. It is one of the biggest in the world!

It is a busy place with many people. You can find great food and fun too.

127 words

Salvador is a large city in Brazil.

Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
It sits in the Northeast part of the country. The city is on a small piece of land called a peninsula. To the west is the Bay of All Saints. To the east is the Atlantic Ocean.
Salvador BA.jpg
Salvador BA.jpg

Salvador is a very old city. It was the first capital of Brazil. It was founded in 1549 by Tomé de Sousa. The city has two main levels. One part is the Upper Town. The other part is the Lower Town. A steep cliff sits between them.

Entardecer elevedor lacerda.jpg
Entardecer elevedor lacerda.jpg
In 1873, people built a hydraulic elevator to help people move between these levels. It is still used today.

The city is famous for its culture. It is known for its music and food. It is even called a "City of Music."

Skyline of Salvador, Brazil.jpg
Skyline of Salvador, Brazil.jpg
Salvador has a very big Carnival. It is one of the largest street parties in the world. Many people visit to see the old buildings and beautiful beaches.
Praia Farol da Barra Salvador 2017-12322.jpg
Praia Farol da Barra Salvador 2017-12322.jpg
More than 2.4 million people live in the city.

185 words

Salvador is a large and busy city in Brazil.

Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
It sits in the Northeast Region of the country. The city is built on a small piece of land called a peninsula. To the west, it meets the Bay of All Saints. To the east, it touches the Atlantic Ocean.
Salvador BA.jpg
Salvador BA.jpg
This special location makes it a very important place for travel and trade. The city is a major center for the state of Bahia.

Because of the land, the city has two different levels. There is an Upper Town and a Lower Town. These two parts are separated by a steep cliff called an escarpment.

Entardecer elevedor lacerda.jpg
Entardecer elevedor lacerda.jpg
To help people move between the levels, a hydraulic elevator was built in 1873.
Salvador Brazil skyline.jpg
Salvador Brazil skyline.jpg
This elevator was the first of its kind in Brazil. It still works today to connect the two parts of the city. The city also has many avenues that run through the valleys.

Salvador has a very long and interesting history. It was founded in 1549 by a man named Tomé de Sousa.

Tomé de sousa.jpg
Tomé de sousa.jpg
Because it was the first capital of Colonial Brazil, it is one of the oldest cities in the Americas. For a long time, it was a very important port for the sugarcane industry. The city even faced battles from the Dutch fleet in 1624.
Attack on San Salvador RMG BHC0268.tiff
Attack on San Salvador RMG BHC0268.tiff
Later, the capital of Brazil was moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1763.

Today, Salvador is a huge place with many people. In 2020, more than 2.4 million people lived in the city.

Av Paralela no Imbuí.jpg
Av Paralela no Imbuí.jpg
The wider metropolitan area, called "Great Salvador," had about 3,957,123 people.
Avtancredoneves23012011.JPG
Avtancredoneves23012011.JPG
The city is famous for its music and its huge Carnival. In fact, Guinness World Records calls it the biggest street party in the world.
Alexius Filhos de Gandhy Salvador Bahia.jpg
Alexius Filhos de Gandhy Salvador Bahia.jpg
It is also part of a special group called the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

Visitors love to see the beautiful sights in Salvador. The Historic Center is a World Heritage Site.

Solar Ferrão fachada 2008.jpg
Solar Ferrão fachada 2008.jpg
It has old buildings and monuments from the 1600s to the early 1900s.
Igreja de São Francisco Salvador 2019-6929.jpg
Igreja de São Francisco Salvador 2019-6929.jpg
The city is also known for its Afro-Brazilian culture and tasty food. People enjoy the lovely beaches, like Porto da Barra.
Praia Farol da Barra Salvador 2017-12322.jpg
Praia Farol da Barra Salvador 2017-12322.jpg
From big sports events like the World Cup to its many universities, there is always something happening.

403 words

Salvador is a major municipality and the capital city of the state of Bahia in Brazil.

Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
It is located within the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region of the country. The city is built on a roughly triangular peninsula. This landform separates the Atlantic Ocean to the east from the Bay of All Saints to the west.
Salvador BA.jpg
Salvador BA.jpg
The Bay of All Saints is the largest bay in Brazil. Because of its strategic location, Salvador has become a vital center for culture, economy, and administration. It is recognized internationally for its unique music, cuisine, and architecture.

The geography of the city created a unique urban layout. The city was built following an uneven topography. This resulted in the formation of two distinct levels: the Upper Town (Cidade Alta) and the Lower Town (Cidade Baixa). These two areas are separated by a steep escarpment, which is a long, steep slope or cliff.

Entardecer elevedor lacerda.jpg
Entardecer elevedor lacerda.jpg
Historically, the Upper Town served as the primary district for religion, administration, and residence. The Lower Town functioned as the commercial center, containing the port and various markets. To connect these two levels, Brazil's first elevator was constructed in 1873. This was a powerful hydraulic elevator designed to move people between the cliffs.
Salvador Brazil skyline.jpg
Salvador Brazil skyline.jpg

Salvador holds a significant place in the history of the Americas. It was founded in 1549 by Tomé de Sousa.

Tomé de sousa.jpg
Tomé de sousa.jpg
At that time, the Portuguese Empire was implementing the General Government of Brazil. As the first capital of Colonial Brazil, Salvador is one of the oldest European-founded cities in the region. The city's history includes many conflicts and shifts in power. In 1624, a Dutch fleet commanded by Piet Pieterszoon Hein captured and sacked the city.
Attack on San Salvador RMG BHC0268.tiff
Attack on San Salvador RMG BHC0268.tiff
However, a Luso-Spanish fleet successfully recaptured the city in 1625. The capital of the colony was eventually moved to Rio de Janeiro in 1763.

The cultural identity of Salvador is deeply shaped by its history and its people. The city is a major center of Afro-Brazilian culture due to strong African influences. This heritage is visible in many cultural aspects of daily life. In 1985, UNESCO declared the Historic Center of Salvador a World Heritage Site.

Solar Ferrão fachada 2008.jpg
Solar Ferrão fachada 2008.jpg
This area is famous for colonial architecture and monuments dating from the 17th century to the early 20th century.
Igreja de São Francisco Salvador 2019-6929.jpg
Igreja de São Francisco Salvador 2019-6929.jpg
Salvador is also a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, holding the unique title of "City of Music."

Today, Salvador is a massive urban center with a large population. As of 2020, the municipality had more than 2.4 million inhabitants.

Av Paralela no Imbuí.jpg
Av Paralela no Imbuí.jpg
It is the most populous municipality in the Northeast and the fifth most populous in all of Brazil. The wider metropolitan area, known as "Great Salvador," had an estimated 3,957,123 inhabitants in 2020.
Avtancredoneves23012011.JPG
Avtancredoneves23012011.JPG
This makes it the second most populous metropolitan area in the Northeast. Because of its size and importance, the IBGE classifies it as a regional metropolis. It is also recognized as a global city in the "Sufficiency" category by the Research Network of Globalization and World Cities.

The economy of Salvador is robust and serves as the economic heart of the state of Bahia. It is a significant port city, an administrative hub, and a major tourist destination. The metropolitan region holds the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) among urban concentrations in the Northeast. In 2018, the city had the second-highest GDP among all municipalities in the Northeast. The city is also home to many important regional and international companies. These include names such as Novonor, Braskem, Neoenergy Coelba, and Suzano Papel e Celulose.

Salvador is also a major destination for international events and sports. The city has hosted significant political and educational gatherings, such as the 12th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in 2010. It has also hosted major athletic competitions. These include the 1989 Copa América, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Arena Fonte Nova External View.jpg
Arena Fonte Nova External View.jpg
The city's Carnival is also world-famous. According to the Guinness World Records, it is the largest street party in the world.
Alexius Filhos de Gandhy Salvador Bahia.jpg
Alexius Filhos de Gandhy Salvador Bahia.jpg
From its historic monuments to its modern metro system, Salvador remains a vital part of the Brazilian landscape.

720 words
🖼️ Images & Media (74)
File:Tomé_de_sousa.jpg
Tomé_de_sousa.jpg
File:Solar Ferrão fachada 2008.jpg
Solar Ferrão fachada 2008.jpg
Attack_on_San_Salvador_RMG_BHC0268.tiff
File:Salvador_Brasil_1875.jpg
Salvador_Brasil_1875.jpg
File:Campo Grande ssa.jpg
Campo Grande ssa.jpg
File:Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
Brazil Bahia Salvador location map.svg
File:Skyline of Salvador, Brazil.jpg
Skyline of Salvador, Brazil.jpg
File:Ponta_de_Santo_Antônio.jpg
Ponta_de_Santo_Antônio.jpg
File:Av Paralela no Imbuí.jpg
Av Paralela no Imbuí.jpg
File:Catedral Basílica Salvador 2019-6527.jpg
Catedral Basílica Salvador 2019-6527.jpg
File:IURD Salvador.jpg
IURD Salvador.jpg
File:Casa de Oxumarê-13729.jpg
Casa de Oxumarê-13729.jpg

+ 62 more

Up Next
🗺️
Bahia
Geography
More to explore

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.