Country Brazil State Bahia Demonym(s) camaçariense Area 759,802 km² Local time Tuesday 2:07 AM | Region Northeast Founded 1758 Time zone BRT (UTC-3) Elevation 36 m Population 161,226 (2010) | |
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Weather 26°C, Wind E at 18 km/h, 77% Humidity | ||
Camaçari is a city in Bahia, Brazil. It is located at 12°41′51″S 38°19′27″W. It is part of the Salvador Metropolitan Region (Região Metropolitana de Salvador), being the industrial city of the metropolis. Camaçari covers 784.658 km2 (302.958 sq mi), and has a population of 281,413 (2014 est.) with a population density of 360 inhabitants per square kilometer. The municipality consists of three districts: Camaçari, Abrantes e Monte Gordo.
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Map of Cama%C3%A7ari, State of Bahia, Brazil
History
The area of Camaçari was inhabited by Tupinambá ethnic group prior to the arrival of the Portuguese. The first Portuguese settlement was in 1558 by two Jesuit priests, João Gonçalves and Antônio Rodrigues. They formed a village called Aldeia do Divino Espírito Santo. Aldeia do Divino Espírito Santo played an important role in the expulsion of the Dutch who arrived in Bahia in the 17th century. Troops under the leadership of bishop D. Mark Teixeira drove out the Dutch in 1624. The name of the village was changed to Vila de Nova Abrantes do Espírito Santo on September 28, 1758 under orders from the Marquiq de Pombal. The Jesuits were also expelled from the area at the same time. Later the village came to be known simply as Vila de Abrantes.
Economy
Several factories and petrochemical plants compose one of largest industrial capabilities in Brazil, the largest of the Northeast region of the country. Braskem, a Brazilian multinational company, the largest petrochemical in the Americas by production capacity and the fifth largest in the world, owns a major petrochemical complex in Camaçari, the largest in Brazil, along with that of Triunfo; the petrochemical complex of Triunfo is also owned by Braskem. The city is also home to a large automobile factory owned by the Ford Motor Company.