Russian Geographical Society

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RUSSIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, situated at 10 Grivtsova Lane. It was founded in 1845 on the initiative of Admiral F. P. Litke, Member of the Academy K. M. Ber, Admiral Baron F. P. Wrangel, and a number of other scientists. It was named the Russian Geographical Society in 1845-50, 1917-26, and since 1992, the Imperial Russian Geographical Society in 1850-1917, the State Geographical Society in 1926-38, the All-Union Geographical Society in 1938-45, and the Geographical Society of the USSR from 1946 to 1991. The society's initial task was to collect geographic, statistical, and ethnographic information on Russia and contiguous countries. With Grand Dukes Konstantin Nikolaevich and Nikolay Mikhailovich as the first chairmen in 1845-92 and 1892-1917, respectively, the society had a council as its governing body from 1850 with a president and vice-president at the head. It was actually headed by Vice-President Litke in 1845-50 and 1857-73, Count M. N. Muravyev in 1850-57, P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky in 1873-1914, and Member of the Academy Y. M. Shokalsky in 1914-31, the latter elected the chairman for the first time. It was then run by Member of the Academy N. I. Vavilov in 1931-40, Member of the Academy L. S. Berg in 1940-50, Member of the Academy E. N. Pavlovsky in 1952-64, Member of the Academy S. V. Kalesnik in 1964-77, Member of the Academy A. F. Treshnikov in 1977-91, Professor S. B. Lavrov in 1991-2000, Professor Y. P. Seliverstov in 2000-02, and Admiral A. A. Komaritsyn since 2002. The society had regional branches established over Russia from 1850. It has had a congress as its superior body since 1933, which is convened every five years. The society joined the International Geographical Union in 1956. Today, it is an All-Russian public organisation uniting geographers, geography teachers, and scientists interested in the findings of geographical research. Its major goals include contributing to the development of the geographical science, popularising its progress, and putting it into practice. The central organisation is situated in its own house in St. Petersburg, built by architect G. V. Baranovsky in 1907-09. Operating in the building are archives, a museum, library, and the Shokalsky Central Lecture Hall. The society has been publishing a journal, Izvestia RGO (The News of the Russian Geographical Society), since 1865. Since 1999, it also has the Centre of Geographical Research attached to it.

Reference: Семенов-Тян-Шанский П. П. История полувековой деятельности Императорского Русского географического общества, 1845-1895: В 3 ч. СПб., 1896; Русское географическое общество: 150 лет / Э. М. Мурзаев и др. М., 1995.

L. I. Yarukova. Baranovsky Gavriil Vasilievich
Ber Karl Maximovich
Berg Lev Semenovich
Kalesnik Stanislav Vikentievich
Komaritsyn Anatoly Alexandrovich
Konstantin Nikolaevich, Grand Prince
Lavrov Sergey Borisovich
Litke Fedor Petrovich
Muravyev Mikhail Nikolaevich
Nikolay Mikhailovich, Grand Prince
Pavlovsky Evgeny Nikolaevich
Seliverstov Yury Petrovich
Semenov-Tyan-Shansky (real name Semenov) Peter Petrovich
Shokalsky Yuly Mikhailovich
Treshnikov Alexey Fedorovich
Vavilov Nikolay Ivanovich
Wrangel Ferdinand Petrovich
Grivtsova Lane/Saint Petersburg, city, house 10
Семенов-Тян-Шанский П. П. История полувековой деятельности Императорского Русского географического общества, 1845 - 1895: В 3 ч. СПб., 1896
Русское географическое общество: 150 лет / Э. М. Мурзаев и др. М., 1995 1845