Map - Barreiras

Barreiras is a city located in the west of the state of Bahia, Brazil. It is the most important urban, political, technological and economic center of the western region of the state. Its economy is based on livestock raising and agriculture. In recent years it has experienced an economic boom and is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state of Bahia if not in Brazil.

Barreiras is located 853 kilometers from Salvador, the state capital, and 622 kilometers from Brasília, the federal capital. With a population of approximately 157 thousand inhabitants distributed over an area of 7,989 km2, it is an important highway crossroads between the North, Northeast, and the Centerwest of the country. The main highway linking Brasília with Salvador – called BR 020 from Brasília to Barreiras and BR 242 from Barreiras to Salvador – passes through Barreiras. There is also an airport with daily flights to Brasília, Salvador da Bahia and São Paulo. There are no railway connections.

Geographically it is located in the basin of the Rio Grande, which flows north-east into the São Francisco River. Several other large rivers – the Rio de Janeiro, the Rio de Ondas, and the Rio Branco – pass through the municipality.