Geographical Societies

Geographical Societies, organizations with the express aim of encouraging, and in some cases planning and financially supporting, geographic research and expeditions. They preceded university departments of geography, and functioned as centers in which journeys and explorations were planned, talks were given, and periodicals were published. Geographical societies have been established in many countries in all parts of the world. They may be of private or government sponsorship; most publish periodicals or journals, and some also publish maps. The earliest societies include Paris (1821), Berlin (1827), Mexico (1833), Frankfurt (1836), the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (1845), Brazil (1883), and the Finnish Geographical Society (1888). The Royal Geographical Society (1830) in Britain and the American Geographical Society (1851) in the U.S. are among those that publish notable scholarly journals. The National Geographic Society (1888) has achieved a wide popularity with its publications, films, and maps. Other significant U.S. societies are the Association of American Geographers (1904) and the American Society for Professional Geographers (1943). Of lesser standing, but still significant in the development of geography in the U.S. were the Appalachian Mountain Club (1876), the Geographic Society of the Pacific (1881; since 1890, the Geographical Society of California), the Geographical Society of Philadelphia (1891), the Sierra Club (1892), the Mazamas (1894), the Geographical Society of Chicago (1889), the Alaska Geographical Society (1898), the Harvard Travelers Club (1902), and the American Alpine Club (1902). The most prominent international geographical organization, the International Geographical Union (1922), sponsors commissions and working groups and arranges quadrennial international geographical congresses.