International Geographical Congress
The IGU hosts an International Geographical Congress every four years held in a country following an Invitation from the IGU National Committee in the country or countries concerned. An invitation to host the Congress should be addressed to the Secretary-General by member countries of the Union or by groups of member countries offering to act as hosts. The acceptance of an invitation is by vote of the General Assembly.
When an invitation has been accepted, the organization and financing of the Congress is the responsibility of the host country or countries. However, the Executive Committee shall advise on the program planned for the Congress. The Congress is s open to delegates from all members of the Union and to individuals both from member countries and from countries which are not members.
International Geographical Congresses have been held as follows, although only from 1925 were they formally under the auspices of the IGU itself, following its establishment in 1922:
1871 Antwerp, Belgium
1875 Paris, France
1881 Venice, Italy
1889 Paris, France
1891 Berne, Switzerland
1895 London, United Kingdom
1899 Berlin, Germany
1904 Washington DC, USA
1908 Geneva, Switzerland
1913 Rome, Italy
1925 Cairo, Egypt
1928 Cambridge, UK
1931 Paris, France
1934 Warsaw, Poland
1938 Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1949 Lisbon, Portugal
1952 Washington DC, USA
1956 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1960 Stockholm, Sweden
1964 London, UK
1968 New Delhi, India
1972 Montreal, Canada
1976 Moscow, Russia
1980 Tokyo, Japan
1984 Paris, France
1988 Sydney, Australia
1992 Washington DC, USA
1996 The Hague, The Netherlands
2000 Seoul, Republic of Korea
2004 Glasgow, UK
2008 Tunis, Tunisia
2012 Cologne, Germany
2016 Beijing, China
2021 Istanbul, Turkey
Future Congresses:
2022 Paris, France (Extraordinary Congress in celebration of IGU Centenary)
2024 Dublin, Ireland
2028 Melbourne, Australia