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We began our exploration of Northeastern Brazil in Salvador da Bahia, the 3rd largest city in the country.

This is looking eastward from one of dozens of islands on the BAY OF ALL SAINTS to the peninsula which is the city of Salvador. On the other side of those high-rises is the Atlantic Ocean.

This is not quite the scene European explorers encountered when they first arrived here in the early 1500s. But even back then they knew this place had a lot going for it. The enormous (1000 sq. km.) bay was one, and the 85 meter high escarpment where attackers would have a tough time invading, was another. Salvador soon became the capital of Brazil and remained so for a couple of centuries - until 1763 when it was moved to Rio de Janiero. It remained there until it was moved to Brasilia in 1960.