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| Union géographique internationale (UGI) | |
 | |
| Abbreviation | IGU/UGI |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1922; 103 years ago (1922) |
| Founded at | Brussels,Belgium |
| Type | INGO |
| Location |
|
Region served | Worldwide |
Official language | English,French,Spanish |
 Nathalie Lemarchand | |
 Barbaros Gönençgil | |
| Affiliations | International Science Council |
| Website | IGU-Online.org |
TheInternational Geographical Union (IGU;French:Union géographique internationale,UGI) is an internationalgeographical society. The first International Geographical Congress was held inAntwerp in 1871. Subsequent meetings led to the establishment of the permanent organization in 1922 inBrussels,Belgium.
The International Geographical Union adheres to theInternational Science Council (ISC), which it recognizes as the coordinating body for theinternational organisations of science.
The IGU has seven objectives or aims:
The following lists contain the senior officers of the IGU from 1922 to present.
Nathalie Lemarchand
Michael Meadows
Yukio Himiyama
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Kolosov
Ronald Francis Abler
José Palacio-Prieto (acting)
Adalberto Vallega (died in office)
Anne Buttimer
Bruno Messerli
Herman Th. Verstappen Roland J. Fuchs
Peter Scott
Akin L. Mabogunje
Michael J. Wise Jean Dresch
Stanisław Leszczycki
Shiba P. Chatterjee
Carl Troll
Hans Wilhelmsson AhlmannL. Dudley StampGeorge B. Cressey
Emmanuel de Martonne SirCharles CloseIsaiah Bowman General Robert Bourgeois General Nicola Vacchelli PrinceRoland Bonaparte Barbaros GönençgilMichael Meadows
Yu Woo-ikRonald Francis Abler Eckart Ehlers
Leszek A. Kosiński Walther ManshardChauncy D. Harris Hans Boesch George H. T. Kimble
Marguerite Lefèvre Paul Michotte Emmanuel de MartonneFilippo De Filippi SirCharles CloseThe IGU is organized into a number of commissions and task forces that deal with specific topics.[1]
The commission topics include e.g. specific approaches (e.g. Applied Geography), topics (e.g. Climatology, Health and Environment), methods (e.g. Geographical Information Science), and spatial examples (e.g. Mediterranean Basin). There are also commissions for theInternational Olympiad and Geographical Education.
The two task forces are "Young and Early-Career Geographers" and "Centennial and Sesquicentennial".
The IGU-CGE (Commission on Geographical Education) focuses on geography education. It is currently headed by co-chairs Clare Brooks (UK) and Chew-Hung Chang (Singapore).[2]
It publishes the IRGEE journal and organizes yearly conferences.[3] The "International Charter on Geographical Education" constitutes an international agreement on different aspects of geography education with global impacts. The 2016 charter features important geography education research questions and policy recommendations. As such the charter is: Convinced that geographical education is indispensable to the development of responsible and active citizens in the present and future world; Conscious that geography can be an informing, enabling and stimulating subject at all levels in education, and contributes to a lifelongenjoyment and understanding of our world; Aware that students require increasing international competence in order to ensure effective cooperation on a broad range of economic, political, cultural and environmental issues in a shrinking world; Concerned that geographical education is neglected in some parts of the world, and lacks structure and coherence in others; Ready to assist colleagues in counteracting geographical illiteracy in all countries of the world.[4] In the 1992 charter there is also information on geographic questions, key concepts, approaches and the selection of spatial examples.[5]
International Geographical Congresses have been held as follows:[6]
| Congress number | Year | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1922 | Paris |
| 2nd | 1928 | Cambridge |
| 3rd | 1931 | Paris |
| 4th | 1934 | Warsaw |
| 5th | 1938 | Amsterdam |
| 6th | 1949 |  Lisbon |
| 7th | 1952 | Washington, D.C. |
| 8th | 1956 |  Rio de Janeiro |
| 9th | 1960 | Stockholm |
| 10th | 1964 | London |
| 11th | 1968 | New Delhi |
| 12th | 1972 | Montreal |
| 13th | 1976 |  Moscow |
| 14th | 1980 | Tokyo |
| 15th | 1984 | Paris |
| 16th | 1988 | Sydney |
| 17th | 1992 | Washington, D.C. |
| 18th | 1996 | The Hague |
| 19th | 2000 | Seoul |
| 20th | 2004 | Glasgow |
| 21st | 2008 |  Tunis |
| 22nd | 2012 | Cologne |
| 23rd | 2016 |  Beijing |
| 24th | 2021 | Istanbul[A] |
| * | 2022 | Paris[B] |
| 25th | 2024 | Dublin |
| 26th | 2028 | Melbourne |
| 27th | 2032 |  |
