The contribution of Theófilo Ottoni (1807-1869) to brazilian Geography of the 19th century

Abstract

The article aims to discuss a topic which hasn´t been explored in much depth by biographers of Teofilo Ottoni (1807-1869), a politician from the state of Minas Gerais, namely his contribution to Brazilian Geography in the 19th century. Although he was not a geographer and did not present himself as such, his spatial vision was remarkable, as evidenced by his participation in debates that took place in parliament and in the Brazilian press about the layout of the D.Pedro II railway linking Rio de Janeiro to the São Francisco Valley. Ottoni pointed out the importance of this railway and river navigation for the territorial and economic integration of Brazil, underlining the strategic significance of the São Francisco River and its population, in addition to defending an industrial perspective for Brazil. Ottoni also projected the geographical recovery of the key position that the state of Minas Gerais had in politics and in the Brazilian State until the end of the gold cycle at the end of the 18th century. This perspective would directly influence the performance of regional political leaders in the 20th century such as João Pinheiro and Juscelino Kubistchek.