The zone of transitional forest to the west consists of deciduous shrubs and smaller plants. The dry zone's landscape is open and bare, and plants such as cactus predominate. Peccary, tapir, and the two-toed sloth live in the forests. In open country the giant armadillo, the scarlet ibis, and the king vulture can be found. Bahia 's population consists of a mulatto majority, with sizable black and white minorities.
Population density varies considerably.
The greatest concentrations of Bahia 's population reside in the cities and towns of its eastern coastal area, particularly in the Rec ncavo. The arid interior, on the other hand, is sparsely populated and has relatively few towns. Of the total population, about half live in urban areas. The language of the people is Portuguese, but it is influenced to some extent by African idioms and slightly by various Indian languages. Roman Catholicism is professed by the overwhelming majority of the population.