Itamaraju is a municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil.[2][3][4][5] "Itamaraju" is a word from the Tupi language meaning "rock of the trees of Jucuruçu" from the terms itá (rock), mara (woods), and ju (first syllable of the Jucuruçu River).
Itamaraju | |
---|---|
Municipality | |
Country | Brazil |
Region | Nordeste |
State | Bahia |
Government | |
Population (2020 [1]) | |
• Total | 64,455 |
Time zone | UTC−3 (BRT) |
On 22 April 1500 a Portuguese fleet under the command of the explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, seen by many as the first European to arrive in Brazil, recorded their sighting of Monte Pascoal which became a European settlement and, subsequently, the municipality of Prado. Itamaraju became and until 1961 remained a piece of the territory of Prado. On 5 October 1961 Itamaraju formally obtained municipal autonomy, its separation from Prado led by José Gomes de Almeida and Antônio Fontes Mascarenhas.
17°04′S 39°32′W / 17.067°S 39.533°W