Knowledge on the chemical composition of connate or formation waters is of great relevance in oil production. Presently, the salinity of water sampled from the aquifer is considered generally as being representative of the whole reservoir. This simplification and the few and contradictory results available on the composition of connate water may result in incorrect estimation of the oil production potential of a reservoir, and in the evaluation and use of the cost- intensive actions to prevent scale formation. In this work, a methodology for the extraction and analysis of connate waters from petroleum samples was developed. The extraction method is based on the addition of known quantities of water to the oil sample and its recovery, after phase separation, for subsequent analysis. Relevant experimental parameters were optimized allowing the quantitative separation of water, even when present in very low concentrations (< 0.5%) Once established, the methodology was applied to extracted water samples, which were analyzed by ICP OES and ICP-MS. Minor and trace element content of these waters showed the following range of concentrations (in mg L-1): Na: 1,880 - 63,794; K: 41.9 - 3,710; Li: 0.48 - 35; Mg: 15.2 - 991; Ca: 143 - 5,867; Sr: 1.12 - 676; Ba: < 0.005 - 243; B: < 0.09 - 149; Zn: < 0.042 - 76.2; Mn: < 0.006 - 4.02; Co: < 0.085 - 465. Concentrations of anions (same unit as before) were determined by ion chromatography, being chloride (4,632 - 102,757), bromide (2.7 - 261) and sulfate (15.0 - 3,292) the most abundant ones. Anions of organic acids (also in mg L-1), such as formiate (116 - 7,324), acetate (144 - 24,630) and propionate (34.3 - 4,891) were also determined by ion chromatography in some samples. In most of the extracted water samples, the concentrations of cations and anions were orders of magnitude higher than reported for ocean water. The excellent ionic balance (equal greater or 5%) calculated for most of the extracted waters reinforced our confidence on the reliability of the here produced data. Additionally, a procedure for the preconcentration of rare earth elements (REE) by coprecipitation with iron (III) hydroxide was developed, and which permitted the quantitative determination of La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd and Dy in these waters. Their normalized concentration profile against the NASC (North American Shale Composite) standard showed patterns very different from ocean water, indicating the potential of REE for the characterization connate waters and associated geological environments. A method for the determination of minor and trace elements in oil samples by ICP OES and ICP-MS, after sample preparation by emulsification, was also introduced and applied to the analyses oil samples, allowing the calculation of elemental mass balances between the original oil sample and its aqueous extract, which were satisfactory for most of the samples analyzed. Once established and validated, the methods and procedures were applied to oil samples, mainly for the Campos Basin (RJ). By means of correlation plots, elemental ratios and the Principal Component Analysis (PCA), different groups of waters and oils with common characteristics (same oil field; minor or major intrusion of water) could be identified showing the utility of these tools for this and further studies.