but there are still wildcats, wilddogs, sagui monkeys, sloths, skunks, deer, capivara and bats. The onça, or jaguar, is also still found in reduced numbers. Economy The first industries began with sugar mills to produce molasses and stills to produce rum. There were also small factories making manioc flour, cheese, carnauba wax, babaça palm oil, bricks and roof tiles. Present-day Ibotirama has five brick factories, two rice mills, one quarry, five small ironworks, five sawmills, a broom factory, a mineral water bottler, and three furniture factories. Agriculture is the main economic activity. Main crops planted during the rainy season are: tobacco, beans, corn, manioc, pumpkin, sesame, sugarcane and grass. The plants develop quickly due to the constant heat of the region. There is also fishing on the river with over six thousand fishermen registered with the government. History The area was once inhabited by Tupi-Guarani Indians who had their fishing camp here. In the eighteenth century settlers began to arrive to start cattle ranching. A settlement was formed to supply muleteers and cattle drivers and fishermen began to settle to take advantage of the vast fishing in the river. In 1911, the village was elevated to the district of Piratinga and in 1931 it became a vila with the name of Jardinópolis. In 1943, the name was changed to Ibotirama. It was only in 1958 that it became a city. Economic growth occurred when the important Brasília-Salvador highway was built, making Ibotirama an obligatory stopover for travelers and truck drivers on the long and tiring journey. References External links Prefeitura Municipal de Ibotirama Brazil Channel--Ibotirama Municipalities in Bahia