Every Day Is Special: July 2 - Independence Day in Bahia (Brazil)

July 2 - Independence Day in Bahia (Brazil)

Posted on July 2, 2019

Brazil's Independence Day is September 7.

But in the Brazilian state of Bahia, an equally important independence day is celebrated today!

Dom Pedro I

Brazil's "Liberator," Dom Pedro I, had declared independence from Portugal for all of Brazil on September 7, 1822. That's strange, actually, because Pedro was born in Lisbon, Portugal, the fourth son of the King of Portugal.

When Pedro was around nine years old, France invaded Portugal, and the royal family fled to Brazil. Later, Pedro's father returned to Portugal and left him ruling Brazil as regent.

When the Portuguese government threatened to take away the self-rule that Brazil had enjoyed for almost two decades, the people of Brazil were unhappy (to say the least), and Pedro sided with them, declared independence and fought and defeated all the armies that were still loyal to Portugal.

But Bahia was a hotbed of Portuguese loyalists, and it was the last region that Pedro and the Brazilian troops controlled. When the Portuguese were finally expelled on this date in 1823, Bahia finally became part of the Empire of Brazil.

In 1889, Brazil became a presidential republic, and Bahia became one of the 26 states of that republic.

Bahia is famous for its beautiful capital, Salvador, a city whose name used to be way too long for a map (in any language):

Cidade do São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos

City of Holy Savior of All Saints Bay

The bay is the largest in Brazil, and the the state is crossed by many rivers, which run from west to east (from the heights of the Andes mountains toward the Atlantic Ocean).

Bahia also boasts one of the largest reservoirs in the world, created by the Sobradinho Dam.