Joachim John Monteiro (1833-1878) was a British mining engineer, colonial administrator, naturalist and explorer.

Monteiro was born in London. He was trained at theRoyal College of Mines in that city.

Monteiro went toAngola in 1858 to oversee mining enterprises in the Malachite deposits ofBembe, Angola and also the extraction of copper. While working here he met withPedro V of Kongo while he was visiting in the Portuguese colony. He remained in Angola until 1876. In Bembe Monteiro discovered that the fibres of the baobab could be used to make paper. Later when he moved to coastalAmbriz he attempted to create a commercial paper making enterprise there. He explored Angola widely making observations and records on its plants, birds and animals. For example, he sent several specimens of plants he recovered atBaía de Namibe to the Kew Gardens.^[1]

In 1875 Monteiro published a work entitledAngola and the River Congo.^[2]

In 1876 Monteiro relocated to Lourenco Marques (nowMaputo) in Mozambique. Here he worked as a labor recruitment agent for the government of Cape Colony until his untimely death in 1878. After his death his wifeRose Monteiro engaged in many studies as a naturalist in the area where they had been living when he died.

• 1878 article inNature on Monteiro
• Biographical Database of Southern African Science entry on Monteiro

• 1833 births
• Alumni of Imperial College London
• British naturalists
• British mining engineers
• People from Portuguese Angola
• People from Portuguese Mozambique
• 1878 deaths

• Use dmy dates from April 2022