Crateús is a municipality of about 72,800 (IBGE 2010) inhabitants in the northwest of the state of Ceará, in Northeastern Brazil. It is located in a remote part of the state near the western border, and there are no nearby cities of any significance. Crateús is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Crateús. It was established by Portuguese explorers in the 17th century in uplands originally inhabited by indigenous peoples.