International Geographical Union
Encyclopedia
The International Geographical Union (IGU; , UGI) is an international geographical
society. The first International Geographical Congress was held in Antwerp in 1871. Subsequent meetings led to the establishment of the permanent organization in Brussels
, Belgium
, in 1922. The Union has 34 Commissions and four task forces. The commissions range from Applied Geography, Gender Geography, Marine Geography, as well as Landscape Analysis and Water Sustainability.
The International Geographical Union adheres to the International Council for Science
(ICSU) and the International Social Science Council
(ISSC), which it recognizes as coordinating bodies for the international organization of science.
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
society. The first International Geographical Congress was held in Antwerp in 1871. Subsequent meetings led to the establishment of the permanent organization in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, in 1922. The Union has 34 Commissions and four task forces. The commissions range from Applied Geography, Gender Geography, Marine Geography, as well as Landscape Analysis and Water Sustainability.
The International Geographical Union adheres to the International Council for Science
International Council for Science
The International Council for Science , formerly the International Council of Scientific Unions, was founded in 1931 as an international non-governmental organization devoted to international co-operation in the advancement of science...
(ICSU) and the International Social Science Council
International Social Science Council
The International Social Science Council is an international organisation that aims to promote the social and behavioural sciences. It was founded in 1952, under the auspices of UNESCO.-External links:* **...
(ISSC), which it recognizes as coordinating bodies for the international organization of science.
Objectives
The IGU has seven objectives or aims:- to promote the study of geographical problems;
- to initiate and co-ordinate geographical research requiring international co-operation and to promote its scientific discussion and publication;
- to provide for the participation of geographers in the work of relevant international organizations;
- to facilitate the collection and diffusion of geographical data and documentation in and between all member countries;
- to promote International Geographical Congresses, regional conferences and specialized symposia related to the objectives of the Union;
- to participate in any other appropriate form of international co-operation with the object of advancing the study and application of geography;
- to promote international standardization or compatibility of methods, nomenclature, and symbols employed in geography.
Presidents
The following list contains the Senior Officers of the IGU from 1922-present:- 1922–24 Prince Bonaparte, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- 1924–28 General Vacchelli, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- 1928–31 General Bourgeois, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- 1931–34 Isaiah BowmanIsaiah BowmanIsaiah Bowman, AB, Ph. D. was an American geographer...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1934–38 Sir Charles CloseCharles CloseColonel Sir Charles Frederick Arden-Close, KBE CB CMG FRS was a British geographer and surveyor, he was Director General of the Ordnance Survey from 1911 to 1922...
, UK - 1938–49 Emmanuel de Martonne, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- 1949–52 George B. Cressey, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- 1952–56 L. Dudley StampLaurence Dudley StampSir Dudley Stamp, CBE, DSc, D. Litt, LLD, Ekon D, DSc Nat , was professor of geography at Rangoon and London, and one of the internationally best known British geographers of the 20th century....
, UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - 1956–60 Hans W. Ahlmann, SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
- 1960–64 Carl TrollCarl TrollCarl Troll , was a German geographer, brother of botanist Wilhelm Troll.From 1919 until 1922 Troll studied amongst other biology, chemistry, geology, geography and physics at the Universität in München. In 1921 he obtained his doctorate in botany and in 1925 his habilitation in geography...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - 1964–68 Shiba P. ChatterjeeShiba P. ChatterjeeShiba Prasad Chatterjee was a Professor of Geography at the University of Calcutta. He was the President of the International Geographical Union, and suggested the name Meghalaya for one of the states in India. Chatterjee received a Murchison Award in 1959, and the Padma Bhushan in 1985.- Sources...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... - 1968–72 Stanislaw Leszczycki, PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
- 1972–76 Jean Dresch, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- 1976–80 Michael J. Wise, UK
- 1980–84 Akin L. Mabogunje, NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
- 1984–88 Peter Scott, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- 1988–92 Roland J. Fuchs United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- 1992–96 Herman Th. Verstappen, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
- 1996–2000 Bruno Messerli, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
- 2000–2004 Anne Buttimer, IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
- 2004–2006 Adalberto Vallega, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, died in office - 2006–2008 José Palacio-Prieto, MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, acting - 2008–present Ronald Francis Abler, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Secretaries-General and Treasurers
- 1922–28 Sir Charles Close, UK
- 1928–31 Filippo de Filippi, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- 1931–38 Emmanuel de Martonne, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- 1938–49 Paul Michotte + Marguerite-Alice Lefèvre, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- 1949–56 George H. T. Kimble, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- 1956–68 Hans Boesch, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
- 1968–76 Chauncy D. HarrisChauncy HarrisChauncy Dennison Harris was a pioneer of modern geography. His seminal works in the field of American urban geography along with his work on the Soviet Union during and after the Cold War era established him as one of the world's foremost urban geographers...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - 1976–84 Walther Manshard, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- 1984–92 Leszek A. Kosiński, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- 1992–2000 Eckart Ehlers, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- 2000–2008 Ronald Francis Abler, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- 2008–2010 Yu Woo-ik, South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
- 2010–present Michael Meadows, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...