Xique-Xique

Xique-Xique Município de Xique-Xique
Municipality
Flag of Xique-Xique Flag Official seal of Xique-Xique Seal
Xique-Xique in the state of Bahia Xique-Xique in the state of Bahia
Xique-Xique Location in Brazil
Coordinates:
Country	Brazil
Region	Nordeste
State	Bahia
Government
• Mayor	Alfredo Ricardo Bessa Magalhães (PT, 2013-2016)
Area
• Total	2,124 sq mi (5,502 km2)
Elevation	1,319 ft (402 m)
Population (2014)
• Total	48,210
• Density	22.7/sq mi (8.76/km2)
Time zone	UTC -3

Xique-Xique is a municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil. Its estimated population in 2014 was 48,210 inhabitants. It is situated on the right bank of São Francisco River and is a regional economic center. Xique-Xique takes its name from a cactus, Pilosocereus polygonus, common to the region.

The first exploratory expedition to the region was in 1545, and carried out by the administration of Tomé de Souza (1503-1579), the first governor-general of the Portuguese colony of Brazil. A fazenda, or large-scale plantation, was established Cabo da Ipueira in the 17th century by the Portuguese Theobaldo Miranda Pires de Carvalho. Before ending the seventeenth century a gold-mining group called the Sierra Assuruá settled in Belvedere Island created the 1st core population inhabited by Europeans.

See also

• List of municipalities in Bahia