author
Joachim John Monteiro
1833–1878
Best known for his vivid 1875 travel book about Angola and the Congo, this 19th-century engineer-naturalist turned years of fieldwork into a detailed record of the region’s landscapes, wildlife, and colonial trade. His writing still stands out for its firsthand energy and range.
2 Audiobooks
Angola and the River Congo, vol. 2
by Joachim John Monteiro
Angola and the River Congo, vol. 1
by Joachim John Monteiro
About the author
Born in London in 1833, Joachim John Monteiro trained at the Royal School of Mines and also studied chemistry before heading to Angola in 1858. There he worked on copper and malachite mining projects, but his interests reached far beyond engineering: he traveled widely, collected plant and animal specimens, and built a reputation as a careful observer of the natural world.
Monteiro spent many years in Angola and later lived in Mozambique. In 1875 he published Angola and the River Congo, a two-volume account based on his travels and experience in west-central Africa. The book helped introduce many readers to the region’s geography, peoples, and natural history, and it remains the work he is most remembered for.
He died on January 6, 1878, in Lourenço Marques, now Maputo. No suitable confirmed portrait image was found from the pages checked, so a profile image is not included here.