The city of Salvador covers an area of 324 sq km (125 sq mi). The core of the city is divided into two principal sections—the Cidade Baixa (Lower City) and the Cidade Alta (Upper City)—both of which date from the colonial period.
The Upper City sits on a bluff that rises abruptly some 70m (230 ft) above the Lower City. The steep terrain has made passage between the two sections difficult. Technological innovations in the late 1800s facilitated access, beginning in 1873 with the construction of a vertical pedestrian lift, known as the Lacerda Elevator. The elevator was replaced with a new system in 1928, and today it carries more than 50,000 passengers daily. In recent years two cable railways—the Plano Inclinado Gonçalves and the Plano Inclinado Liberdade/Calçada—have been added to link the two areas.
