International Geographical Union Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
International Geographical Union (IGU)
Union géographique internationale (UGI)

Abbreviation	IGU/UGI
Formation	1922; 103 years ago (1922)
Founded at	Brussels, Belgium
Type	INGO
Location	Secretariat: Department of Geography University of Istanbul Istanbul, Turkey
Region served	Worldwide
Official language	English, French, Spanish
President	Nathalie Lemarchand
Secretary-General	Barbaros Gönençgil
Affiliations	International Science Council

The International Geographical Union (IGU) is a big international group for people who study geography. Geography is all about learning about Earth's lands, features, and how people live on our planet. The IGU helps geographers from different countries work together.

The very first big meeting of geographers happened in Antwerp in 1871. Later, in 1922, they decided to create a permanent organization. This is how the IGU officially started in Brussels, Belgium.

The IGU is connected to the International Science Council (ISC). The ISC helps coordinate many international science organizations.

What the IGU Does
IGU Leaders
- Presidents of the IGU
- Secretaries-General and Treasurers
Special Groups and Projects
- IGU-CGE: Teaching Geography
Past Congresses
See also

What the IGU Does

The IGU has seven main goals. These goals help geographers around the world:

To encourage the study of geographical problems.
To start and organize geography research that needs international teamwork. They also help share these scientific discussions and findings.
To make sure geographers can join in the work of other important international groups.
To make it easier to gather and share geographical information between all member countries.
To organize International Geographical Congresses, which are big meetings, along with smaller regional conferences and special workshops.
To take part in any other international cooperation that helps advance the study and use of geography.
To help make sure that methods, names, and symbols used in geography are the same or compatible worldwide.

IGU Leaders

This section lists the main leaders of the IGU from when it started until now.

Presidents of the IGU

2024–present Nathalie Lemarchand
2021–24 Michael Meadows
2016–21 Yukio Himiyama
2012–16 Vladimir Aleksandrovich Kolosov
2008–12 Ronald Francis Abler
2006–07 José Palacio-Prieto (acting)
2004–06 Adalberto Vallega (died in office)
2000–04 Anne Buttimer
1996–2000 Bruno Messerli
1992–96 Herman Th. Verstappen
1988–92 Roland J. Fuchs
1984–88 Peter Scott
1980–84 Akin L. Mabogunje
1976–80 Michael J. Wise
1972–76 Jean Dresch
1968–72 Stanisław Leszczycki
1964–68 Shiba P. Chatterjee
1960–64 Carl Troll
1956–60 Hans Wilhelmsson Ahlmann
1952–56 L. Dudley Stamp
1949–52 George B. Cressey
1938–49 Emmanuel de Martonne
1934–38 Sir Charles Close
1931–34 Isaiah Bowman
1928–31 General Robert Bourgeois
1924–28 General Nicola Vacchelli
1922–24 Prince Roland Bonaparte

Secretaries-General and Treasurers

2021–present Barbaros Gönençgil
2010–20 Michael Meadows
2008–10 Yu Woo-ik
2000–08 Ronald Francis Abler
1992–2000 Eckart Ehlers
1984–92 Leszek A. Kosiński
1976–84 Walther Manshard
1968–76 Chauncy D. Harris
1956–68 Hans Boesch
1949–56 George H. T. Kimble
1940-49 Marguerite Lefèvre
1938–40 Paul Michotte
1931–38 Emmanuel de Martonne
1928–31 Filippo De Filippi
1922–28 Sir Charles Close

Special Groups and Projects

The IGU has different groups called commissions and task forces. These groups focus on specific topics within geography.

For example, some commissions study particular ways of looking at geography, like "Applied Geography." Others focus on specific subjects, such as "Climatology" or "Health and Environment." There are also groups that look at methods, like "Geographical Information Science." Some even focus on specific places, like the "Mediterranean Basin."

The IGU also has commissions for the International Geography Olympiad, which is a competition for young geography students, and for "Geographical Education."

The two task forces are "Young and Early-Career Geographers" and "Centennial and Sesquicentennial."

IGU-CGE: Teaching Geography

The IGU-CGE stands for the Commission on Geographical Education. This group focuses on how geography is taught in schools and universities. It is currently led by Clare Brooks from the UK and Chew-Hung Chang from Singapore.

This commission publishes a journal called IRGEE and holds conferences every year. They also created the "International Charter on Geographical Education." This charter is an international agreement about different parts of geography education. It has a global impact.

The 2016 charter talks about important questions for geography education research and gives advice for policies. It states that geographical education is very important for helping young people become responsible and active citizens. It also believes that geography can be an exciting subject at all levels of education. Geography helps people enjoy and understand our world throughout their lives.

The charter also recognizes that students need to understand other countries better. This helps with cooperation on many topics like economy, politics, culture, and the environment. It is concerned that geography education is sometimes ignored or not well-organized in some parts of the world. The IGU-CGE is ready to help people fight against a lack of geography knowledge everywhere. The 1992 charter also included information on geography questions, key ideas, and how to choose examples of places.

Past Congresses

The International Geographical Congresses are big meetings that have been held in many different cities around the world.

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
*	2022	Paris
25th	2024	Dublin
26th	2028	Melbourne
27th	2032