Cartography of the Brazilian Empire: Brief Considerations

Abstract

This paper is a small part of the historical research on Cartography and Geodesy in Brazil, developed by the Laboratory of Cartography, GeoCart, Department of Geography, of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Inside the historical research on the several mapping works developed during all the commissions designed between 1862 and 1890, to organize and to defi ne the support to mapping the role Empire and also Rio de Janeiro State, including the Neutral Municipal district of Rio de Janeiro, there was need to know all early initiatives, which gave origin to the mapping systems used, before the Brazilian Independence from Portugal, during the 19th Century. It will be presented, after an introduction to early attempts, the Empire of Brazil cartographic organization with some cartographic maps, without geodetic support. In order to organize and mainly to include a scientifi c geodetic support, in 1862 was created the General Chart of Brazilian Empire Commission, to develop an orderly systematic mapping. The main personalities involved during the existence of the Commission, characteristics and actions that were accomplished will be presented also. At the end, two great attempts to make a precision geodetic triangulation network will be presented, one in Rio Grande do Sul State, and the other one in the Neutral Municipal district, Rio de Janeiro, which both supported the initial development of the Brazilian geodetic triangulation network.