Vitória da Conquista is a city in Bahia, Brazil. geocoordinates: 14º 52' S and 40º 50' W
Founding
Vitória da Conquista was founded in 1783, after several battles against the native Imboré and Mongoió tribes, by the Portuguese hero João Gonçalves da Costa, born in Chaves, Trás-os-Montes, Portugal. Da Costa had been sent to Brazil by the king of Portugal, Dom José I, to fight against the natives, seize their land, and then convert them to Christianity. He founded The Arraial da Conquista ("Conquest Town") on the site of the last battle and began the building of a church in honour of the Holy Mother of Victory. At the same time, João Gonçalves da Costa ordered the construction of two of the main roads in the state of Bahia, one from Vitória da Conquista to Ilhéus and another from Vitória da Conquista to River Jequitinhonha in Minas Gerais. Today this second road has become part of a much longer federal highway known as the Rio-Bahia.
The city today
In 2006, Vitória da Conquista had an estimated population of almost 300,000 people. The major economic activities are commerce, medical services, and coffee growing. The city is becoming a centre of university schools, mainly due to the stablishment and growth of Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia - UESB [1] (Southwest Bahia State University).
