18 Facts About Milton Santos

Milton Almeida dos Santos was a Brazilian geographer and geography scholar who had a degree in law.

Milton Santos became known for his pioneering works in several branches of geography, notably urban development in developing countries.

Milton Santos is considered the father of critical geography in Brazil.

Milton Santos was born in Brotas de Macaubas, Bahia, Brazil on May 3,1926.

Milton Santos's parents were elementary school teachers who home-schooled him.

Milton Santos taught geography and math to fellow high-school students in order to finance his pre-law in Salvador.

Milton Santos graduated in law from the Federal University of Bahia but decided not to practice, becoming instead a high-school geography teacher in Ilheus.

Also in Ilheus, Milton Santos worked on the side as a journalist for the A Tarde newspaper.

Milton Santos studied and taught in Europe, the Americas, and Africa.

Milton Santos completed his PhD at the University of Strasbourg in 1958 under Jean Tricart.

Milton Santos managed to turn an otherwise painful thirteen-year exile into a successful international career.

Milton Santos lived in Bordeaux and Toulouse, where he met geography student Helene, who was to become his second wife and give birth to son Rafael.

Milton Santos taught in Paris at the Sorbonne, Toronto and the MIT, where he collaborated with Noam Chomsky.

Milton Santos wrote more than forty books, all told, in several languages.

Milton Santos's works became a reference for those interested in understanding geography from a critical point of view, especially by applying concepts of the Frankfurt School.

Milton Santos's works include "Por uma Geografia Nova" and "A natureza do espaco".

In 1994, Milton Santos was awarded the Vautrin Lud Prize, the highest prize in geography.

Milton Santos died in Sao Paulo, on June 24,2001, at age 75, as a result of prostate cancer diagnosed about seven years earlier.