Roberto Ivens (12 June 1850 in Ponta Delgada – 28 January 1898 in Dafundo, Oeiras) was a Portuguese explorer of Africa, geographer, colonial administrator, and an officer of the Portuguese Navy.

Early life

Roberto Ivens was the son of Margarida Júlia de Medeiros Castelo Branco and Robert Breakspeare Ivens (1822–?). Margarida was of lower nobility and Roberto's Grandfather, William Ivens, was a merchant awarded the Ivens Arms by George III in 1816. Robert Breakspeare Ivens was a great-grandson of Thomas Hickling (Boston 1745–1836 Ponta Delgada) the American vice-consul in Ponta Delgada.

In 1861, Ivens attended the Navy School in Lisbon. At school Roberto was known as "Roberto of the Devil" and he became known as an intelligent young gentleman.

Ivens went on an expedition into the provinces of Angola and Mozambique beginning on 11 May 1877, and studied relations between hydrographic basins in Zambezi. His hydrographic studies are considered even today to be "amazingly perfect".

He was also portrayed in the 500 Angolan escudo banknote issued in 1956.

In 2019, TAP Air Portugal named an Airbus A321, registered CS-TXD, for Roberto Ivens.

Partial list of works

  • De Benguela às Terras de Iaca 1881
  • De Angola à Contracosta 1886

See also

  • Portuguese Empire
  • European exploration of Africa
  • Hydrography

References

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  • A short biography (in Portuguese)
  • RTP biography (in Portuguese)

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