"[1] Salvador was established in 1549 by the first Governor-General of Portuguese South America shortly after colonization began.
The city became the seat of the first Catholic bishopric of Brazil in 1552 and is still the center of Brazilian Catholicism.
In the 17th century, Rio de Janeiro became a far more practical export port than Salvador, and the colonial administration was moved in 1763.
The Portuguese capital was temporarily transferred from Europe to Rio de Janeiro.
In the 1950s plans were considered for moving the federal capital from the east coast to the interior; the interior was sparsely populated and it was hoped that moving the capital to the region would help populate the area.