National Committees

Formal membership in the International Geographical Union is by country. Three categories of national members are recognized: Full member, Associate member, and Observer member countries. Where a distinct geographical community exists within an area that is not generally recognized internationally as a country, that community may be recognized by the IGU with membership without reference to the political territory in which it resides.

Each full member country is represented in the IGU General Assembly (which consists of IGU national members in good standing, i.e. where annual dues are not in arrears) by the chairperson of their respective IGU National Committee.

Where the development of geographical studies or the number of geographers is insufficient to make possible the formation of a National Committee for the IGU, any group of three or more persons may constitute themselves a Committee, and apply for Associate Membership.

Since full membership requires the regular payment of appropriate membership fees, the IGU recognizes a category of ‘observer’ member when the annual dues have not been paid for one year or more. This category is also used in cases where there is no formally constituted national committee but there is a designated IGU ‘representative’ or point of contact in a country.