Bahia: Bigger Than France, Richer Than a Map Can Show
Bahia is more than a state. It’s a civilizational core, a continental-scale economy, and one of the most strategically located territories in the Southern Hemisphere.
With an area of 564,692 km², Bahia is:
Larger than France
Bigger than Thailand, Spain, or California
The 4th largest Brazilian state by area
A blend of agriculture, industry, ports, forests, caatinga, coastlines, and culture
Bahia contains everything Brazil is made of land, labor, logistics, and legacy.
🧭 Why Bahia Matters
It has 1,100 km of coastline, home to world-class beaches, resorts, ports, and shipping routes
Hosts Brazil’s main petrochemical and industrial complexes (Camaçari, Aratu)
Includes the Chapada Diamantina and Mucugê region ecotourism and conservation hotspots
Key to the national food supply chain: fruit, grain, cattle, and cotton
Central to Brazil’s energy grid, with solar, wind, hydro, and oil production
Home to a deep-rooted Afro-Brazilian culture with global resonance
📐 Comparative Area
Region Area (km²)
Bahia (BR) 564,692
France 551,695
Thailand 513,120
California (USA) 423,967
Spain 505,990
📈 Strategic Profile
Two major port complexes: Salvador and Aratu
Logistics corridors to the Midwest and North
One of Brazil’s most advanced green hydrogen and solar clusters
Diverse economy: agribusiness, tourism, mining, energy, and services
Cultural capital: from Salvador’s Pelourinho to Ilhéus, Caetité, and Trancoso
🧠 Why It Belongs in the Series
Bahia defies categorization. It’s too big to be regional, too complex to be reduced, and too strategic to be ignored.
It shows what happens when history, land, and people meet scale and ambition — a place where Brazil’s past and future are constantly overlapping.
At Latitude3, we see Bahia not just as a destination, but as a platform — for industry, sustainability, hospitality, and cultural identity.
📌 Part of the series Continental Brazil
Next: “Pará: A Forest State the Size of Western Europe
