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Broaching the subject from a historiographical point of view, this article offers to reread the relationship between oceanic and continental areas and to understand the extent to which Atlantic history has challenged specific continental metageographies, or vice versa. Calling to mind some of the origins of Atlantic history in the 20th century, and drawing on two examples from recent research on the 18th century Luso-Brazilian world, the essay shows the expansion of Atlantic borders and points to an increasing stress laid on the important connection between continents and oceans in historical literature.