Russian Geographical Society. How to join it? Regional branches of the Russian Geographical Society

The Russian Geographical Society is a public organization aimed at a deep and comprehensive study of geographical, environmental and cultural aspects in the history of Russia. This organization unites not only specialists in the field of geography, travelers, ecologists, but also people seeking to gain new knowledge about Russia and are ready to help preserve it Natural resources and wealth.

The Russian Geographical Society (abbreviated as RGO) was founded in 1845 by decree of Emperor Nicholas I.

From 1845 to the present time, the Russian Geographical Society has been active. It should be noted that the name of the Society changed several times: first it was called the Imperial Geographical Society, then it became the State Geographical Society, then the Geographical Society of the USSR (All-Union Geographical Society), and finally it became the Russian Geographical Society.

The founder of the Russian Geographical Society is Admiral Fedor Petrovich Litke. He created the Society in order to master Russia and study it comprehensively.

Among the founders of the Russian Geographical Society are famous navigators such as Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern and Ferdinand Petrovich Wrangel. Members of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences took part in the creation of the Society, for example, naturalist Karl Maksimovich Baer, ​​statistician Pyotr Ivanovich Keppen. Military figures also contributed to the development of the Russian Geographical Society: surveyor Mikhail Pavlovich Vronchenko, statesman Mikhail Nikolaevich Muravyov. Among the Russian intelligentsia who took an active part in the creation of the Society, one can highlight the linguist Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl, philanthropist Vladimir Petrovich Odoevsky.

The leaders of the Society were members of the Russian Imperial House, travelers, researchers and statesmen. These are representatives of the Imperial House of Romanov, and presidents of the Society, such as the Russian and Soviet geneticist, geographer Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov, who participated in dozens of expeditions and created the doctrine of world centers of origin cultivated plants. The Russian Geographical Society was also headed by the Soviet zoologist and geographer Lev Semenovich Berg, who made a huge contribution to science. He collected materials about the nature of different regions, in addition, he created a textbook called “The Nature of the USSR.” L.S. Berg can be considered the creator of modern physical geography, since he is the founder of landscape science. By the way, the landscape division proposed by Lev Semenovich has been preserved to this day.

For the past 7 years (since 2009), the post of President of the Russian Geographical Society has been occupied by the Minister of Defense Russian Federation Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu. And in 2010, a Board of Trustees was formed, headed by the President of the country, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. At the meetings of the Council, the results of the work of the Russian Geographical Society for the year are summed up, and plans for the future are discussed. In addition, various grants from the Russian Geographical Society are awarded at the meetings.

The Russian Geographical Society has its own charter. The first one came out on December 28, 1849 under Nicholas I. And the charter that exists today was approved on December 11, 2010 during the 14th Congress of the All-Russian public organization"Russian Geographical Society". In accordance with this, the society received the status of an “all-Russian public organization.”

The main goal of the Russian Geographical Society is a comprehensive knowledge of Russia and the world in all its diversity. To achieve this goal it is necessary:

1. active participation of society in its activities;

2. collection, processing and dissemination of various information about Russia in the field of geography, ecology, culture, ethnography.

3. attracting attention to historical and cultural sites of Russia for the development of tourism.

The Russian Geographical Society is trying to attract representatives of the youth environment to its activities in order to reveal their creative potential for organizing various competitions, as well as to cultivate a caring attitude towards nature.

The Society works closely with environmental, geographic, environmental and charitable organizations, educational institutions(including with federal universities), research and scientific centers, with commercial organizations working in the field of tourism and education. The Russian Geographical Society also cooperates with the media.

Today the Society has about 13,000 members in Russia and abroad. The Russian Geographical Society is a non-profit organization and therefore does not receive government funding.

The Russian Geographical Society is covered in a variety of media. For example, in the magazine “Arguments and Facts”, in the newspapers “Kommersant”, “ Russian newspaper", on the TV channels "St. Petersburg", "Channel 5", "NTV"

There is a website of the Russian Geographical Society, which contains all the necessary information about the Society, as well as a library, grants and projects. One of the most important projects is the youth movement, which was created in 2013. Today, about 80 thousand schoolchildren and students from all regions of Russia, as well as about 1 thousand specialists in the field of geographical and environmental education, are participants in the movement. The youth movement was created in order to organize all-Russian youth projects, with the help of which participants could show their activity, creativity and initiative.

The Russian Geographical Society awards special awards for achievements in the field of geography or for assistance to the Russian Geographical Society.

This award is received by members of the Russian Geographical Society for their success and usefulness in geography. The Konstantinov medal was received by Vladimir Ivanovich Dal for “ Dictionary Russian language" (1863), Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev for his works on the geology of Asia (1900) and many others.

2. Big Golden medal:

The award is given for works in the field of science every 2 or 3 years. Only those scientists who have accomplished a brave feat can receive it. Another criterion is successful expeditions that resulted in some important discovery. Nikolai Vasilyevich Slyunin received a large gold medal for his essay “Okhotsk-Kamchatka Territory” (1901), Grigory Nikolaevich Potanin for his work entitled “Essays on Northwestern Mongolia” (1881).

3. Big silver medal:

The award is given for works in the field of science once every 1 or 2 years for contributions to the Russian Geographical Society, or for success in the field of geography.

4. Gold medal named after. Fyodor Petrovich Litke:

Only scientists who have accomplished most important discoveries in the World Ocean and polar countries. The first medal was awarded to Konstantin Stepanovich Staritsky for hydrographic research in the Pacific Ocean (1874). In different years, the medal was received by Mikhail Vasilyevich Pevtsov for his work “Essay on a trip to Mongolia” (1885), Leonid Ludwigovich Breitfus for studying the Barents Sea (1907 g.) and others.

5. Gold medal named after. Peter Petrovich Semenov:

For studying security issues environment, scientific works on soil geography and descriptions of vast parts of Russia and other countries are awarded this medal. It was established in 1899, it was received by Pyotr Yulievich Schmidt for studying water conditions in the Far East (1906), Lev Semenovich Berg for studying the Aral Sea (1909) and other scientists.

6. Gold medal named after. Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky:

The medal is awarded for discoveries in deserts and mountainous countries, for expeditions to explore the peoples of Russia and other countries. Established on August 29, 1946 and awarded once every 2 years. One of those who received this award is Alexander Mikhailovich Berlyant.

7. Gold medal named after. Alexander Fedorovich Treshnikov:

The medal is awarded to participants in expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic, dedicated to the study of climatic conditions, as a result of which scientific discoveries were made, as well as for the development of the polar regions.

8. Gold medal named after. Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklouho-Maclay:

Awarded for research in the field of ethnography, historical geography, and cultural heritage.

9. Small gold and silver medals:

They can be obtained once a year. The authors were awarded a small gold medal scientific works in one of the areas of the Russian Geographical Society, which systematizes the results of research done on any subject. Silver is awarded for selfless assistance to the Society. Both medals were established in 1858. Small gold medals were received by Pyotr Petrovich Semenov for his work and services provided to the Society (1866), Venedikt Ivanovich Dybovsky and Viktor Aleksandrovich Godlevsky for research on Lake Baikal (1870) and others. Small silver medals were awarded to Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky for the article “Non-resident population of the southern part of the Primorsky Region” (1869), Alexander Andreevich Dostoevsky for his assistance in compiling the “History of Society” (1895) and many other scientists.

In addition to medals, the Society annually awards the following awards:

1. Prize named after. Semyon Ivanovich Dezhnev:

2. Honorary diploma:

Scientists are awarded for research in geography and related sciences. The decision to award a diploma is published on the Russian Geographical Society website.

3. Certificate of honor:

The diploma is awarded for contribution to the development of the Society. As a rule, the presentation takes place on some anniversary or is associated with an important date.

4. Personalized scholarship:

Awarded at least 10 times a year. It is awarded to young scientists in the field of geography for the best scientific works.

The Russian Geographical Society provides grants in priority areas - funds to finance research and educational projects aimed at achieving the goals and solving the problems of the Society.

Grant projects must be of great public importance and focused on achieving practical results in the interests of Russia.

Grants have been awarded every year since 2010 on a competitive basis. The competition is organized at the end of the year, its duration is a month. For example, in 2010, the Russian Geographical Society provided financial assistance to 13 projects in the amount of 42 million rubles, a year later the number of projects increased greatly - to 56. More than 180 million rubles were allocated for them. In 2012, almost 200 million rubles were allocated for 52 projects. And in 2013, grant support amounting to more than 100 million rubles was provided to 114 projects.

The Russian Geographical Society has many periodicals. For example, “Bulletin of the Imperial Geographical Society”, “Living Antiquity”, “Questions of Geography”, “Geographical News”, etc.

The Russian Geographical Society has 85 regional branches in the Russian Federation. Their activities consist of increasing the level of citizens’ knowledge about their region, increasing the number of activists of the Russian Geographical Society, and drawing attention to the environmental environment.

Historical reference

The Russian Geographical Society was founded in St. Petersburg by the Highest order of Emperor Nicholas I in 1845 under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which emphasized its state status.

The idea of ​​creating a community of scientists for a comprehensive study of the nature of their native country, its population, and economy was literally “in the air” after the greatest geographical research and discoveries of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries.

Such expeditions as the Second Kamchatka Expedition of 1733-1742, Academic expeditions of 1768 - 1774, the discovery of the first section of Antarctic land. F.F. Bellingshausen and M.K. Lazarev in 1820 - 1821, expedition of A.F. Middendorf's (1843 - 1844) expedition to Eastern Siberia had no equal in scale in the history of geographical research.

And yet, for such a huge country, all this was negligible, which was well understood by the most far-sighted scientists, who realized the need for serious, comprehensive knowledge of their country, and to achieve this, a special organization was needed to coordinate such work.

In 1843, under the leadership of P.I. Keppen, an encyclopedist, an outstanding statistician and ethnographer, a circle of statisticians and travelers began to meet regularly. Later, the circle was joined by the famous naturalist and traveler K.M. Baer, ​​a scientist with an extraordinary breadth of scientific interests, and the famous navigator Admiral F.P. Litke, explorer of Novaya Zemlya, chief round the world expedition 1826 - 1829 This collection can be considered the predecessor of the Geographical Society.

The first meeting of the founders took place on October 1, 1845. It elected full members of the Society (51 people). On October 19, 1845, the first general meeting of full members of the Russian Geographical Society took place in the conference hall of the Imperial Academy of Sciences and Arts, which elected the Council of the Society. Opening this meeting, F.P. Litke defined the main task of the Russian Geographical Society as “cultivating the geography of Russia.” physical, mathematical geography, statistics and ethnography.

In 1851, the first two regional departments were opened - Caucasian (in Tiflis) and Siberian (in Irkutsk).

The first de facto leader of the Russian Geographical Society was its vice-chairman F.P. Litke - until 1873. He was replaced by P.P. Semenov, who later received the addition of Tian-Shansky to his surname and led the company for 41 years until his death in 1914.

Already in the first decades of its activity, the Society united the most advanced and educated people of Russia, who were close to the acute socio-economic problems of the era. The Russian Geographical Society has taken a prominent place in scientific and public life countries.

Traveling is one of the oldest methods of understanding the world around us. For geography in the past, it was, in fact, the most important, when only the testimony of eyewitnesses who had visited certain countries could provide reliable information about the peoples, economy and physical appearance of the Earth. Scientific expeditions, which gained great scope in the 18th and 19th centuries. were, in the apt expression of N.M. Przhevalsky, essentially “scientific reconnaissance”, since they could meet the needs of descriptive regional studies and satisfy the needs of primary and general acquaintance with the essential features of a particular country. Numerous expeditions organized by the Russian Geographical Society contributed to his fame and recognition of his merits.

A.P. Chekhov wrote about travelers of the last century: “Constituting the most poetic and cheerful element of society, they excite, console and ennoble.” And there: “One Przhevalsky or one Stanley is worth a dozen educational institutions and hundreds of good books.

The most notable expeditions of the Russian Geographical Society in the Caucasus were the studies of plant geography by V.I. Masalsky, N. Kuznetsov, G.I. Radde, A.N. Krasnov.

The Russian Geographical Society paid the greatest attention to the white spots of the Northern Urals, Siberia and Far East. The Vilyui expedition, N.M. Przhevalsky’s travels in the Ussuri region, P.A. Kropotkin’s explorations of Siberia, B.I. Dybovsky, A.L. Chekanovsky, I.D. Chersky, N.M. Yadrintsev, a large ethnographic expedition that covered vast expanses with its routes Eastern Siberia(which was financed by the wealthy Lena gold miner A.M. Sibiryakov) under the leadership of D.A. Klemenets, research by V.A. Obruchev, travel around Kamchatka by V.L. Komarov.

Central Asia and Kazakhstan were not forgotten. The first person who, on behalf of the Society, began researching these vast territories was P.P. Semenov. His work was continued by N.A. Severtsov, A.A. Tillo, I.V. Mushketov, V.A. Obruchev, V.V. Bartold, L.S. Berg.

Work was also carried out outside of Russia. In Mongolia and China, scientists worked whose names are not forgotten today: N.M. Przhevalsky, M.V. Pevtsov, K.I. Bogdanovich, G.N. Potanin, G.E. Grumm-Grzhimailo, P.K. .Kozlov, V.A.Obruchev - all active figures of the Russian Geographical Society.

In Africa and Oceania, the travels and explorations of N.S. Gumilev, E.P. Kovalevsky, V.V. Juncker, E.N. Pavlovsky made a significant contribution to the study of the African continent, and the travels of N.N. Miklouho-Maclay to the Pacific Islands oceans may have become the most remarkable events of the Russian Geographical Society.

The life of the Russian Geographical Society was not interrupted even in the most difficult and hungry years - 1918, 1919, 1920... In the most difficult year of 1918, the Society held three General Meetings with scientific reports, in 1919 - two meetings. It is also surprising that in 1918 44 people joined the Society, in 1919 - 60 people, in 1920 - 75.

In 1923, P.K. Kozlov’s wonderful work “Mongolia and Amdo, and the Dead City of Khara-Khoto” was published. In the same year, the Council of People's Commissars approved the organization of a new Mongol-Tibetan expedition "with the necessary funds allocated for this expedition."

One of the scientific directions of the Society’s work that was important for the state was the compilation of the Geographical-Statistical Dictionary of the USSR, which was supposed to replace the one published in 1863 - 1885. The dictionary compiled by P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky is outdated in many parts.

Post-revolutionary Russia found the strength to defend its national interests, and this was done on the initiative of the Russian Geographical Society. Thus, in 1922, the Society protested against the proposal of the Royal Geographical Society of London to remove names in Tibet associated with the names of Russian travelers. In 1923, the Council of the Russian Geographical Society protested against the Norwegian renames on the map of Novaya Zemlya. Since 1923, the international relations of the Society have been gradually restored through the efforts of Yu.M. Shokalsky and V.L. Komarov. The scientific blockade of the young state did not last long; it became impossible to ignore Russian science any longer. Of course, there were also great losses - some of the Russian scientists who did not accept the revolution were sent abroad.

The 30s were a period of expansion and consolidation of everything done after the revolution, years of strengthening the Society itself, the growth of its branches and departments. Since 1931, N.I. Vavilov became the President of the Society. In 1933, the First All-Union Congress of Geographers met in Leningrad, which was attended by 803 delegates - a figure that is still a record today. Many reports at the congress (by A.A. Grigoriev, R.L. Samoilovich, O.Yu. Schmidt) were, as it were, final, noting the gigantic growth of geographical research in our country and the responsible role of the State Geographical Society in the new conditions.

On March 21, 1992, the Scientific Council of the Society made a historic decision - “In connection with the liquidation of union structures and the need to rename, return the Geographical Society of the USSR to its original historical name - “Russian Geographical Society”.

Today, the Russian Geographical Society is an all-Russian public organization that unites 27 thousand members in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation and abroad and has regional and local branches, as well as branches and representative offices throughout Russia. The largest branches are Primorskoe and Moscow.

The central organization of the Russian Geographical Society is located in St. Petersburg, in a house on Grivtsova Lane, built in 1908 with money from members of the Society, largely thanks to the efforts of P.P. Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky. Today, members of various branches and commissions of the Central Organization (there are 33 of them) gather daily in the halls of the Society to discuss modern problems geography and related disciplines. The building houses a Scientific Archive, a museum, a library, and the Central Lecture Hall named after. Yu.M. Shokalsky, printing house.

The Russian Geographical Society continues to work for the benefit of the people of our country, offering its great scientific potential to both the state and individual constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Thus, the Society tries to work and even earn money. But... The main problem in the activities of the Russian Geographical Society, as, apparently, in scientific and cultural institutions in general, remains financial. It seems that today everyone has already understood that if an institution of science and culture becomes “self-sustaining”, then it turns into a commercial enterprise. However, the times when the mayor wrote to P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky: “Do yourself a favor, accept 10 thousand rubles in silver” (for the needs of the Society) have not yet returned.

From the day the Russian Geographical Society was founded, the state understood the need to financially support the Society and did so until the early 1990s. Today, high government officials respond to the request of a full member of the Society, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma A.N. Chilingarov to help the pride of Russian and world geographical science with a cold refusal, citing new laws that do not make it possible to finance the activities of public organizations from the state budget. By the way, the new laws do not prohibit doing this, and in tsarist and Soviet times the laws were hardly softer.

Science develops only when scientists can communicate and exchange the results of their research. For this purpose, the Russian Geographical Society regularly holds congresses.

In 1974, local branches of the Russian Geographical Society were organized in Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk. The Kislovodsk branch now has 26 people. They annually hold scientific conferences, at which the deputy director of the Regional Museum named after A. Prozriteleva – Prave, chief archaeologist Stavropol Territory Savenko Sergey Nikolaevich, candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, astrophysicist Vladimir Ivanovich Chernyshov, geologists and local historians of the cities of the Caucasus Mining Waters, including the author of this article.

Since 2007, efforts have been made to revive the Pyatigorsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society. Expeditions are carried out through the Scientific Tourism Department of the Russian Geographical Society. Reports about them are published and posted on the Internet.

Full member of the Russian Geographical Society V.D. Stasenko

Novosibirsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS)

Our website was created by a group of members of the Novosibirsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society (RGS), more than 400 authors. The Novosibirsk branch is located in Siberia, and this determines its goals and objectives: uniting all geographers, scientists, teachers, professionals and simply nature lovers, studying and solving current environmental problems, interaction between society and nature. Description of the most beautiful and interesting places, assistance in organizing tourism.

The Russian Geographical Society is one of the oldest in the world.

The Russian Geographical Society is a public organization, one of the oldest geographical societies in the world. On August 18, 1845, by the highest order of Emperor Nicholas I, the proposal of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia, Count L. A. Perovsky, was approved on the creation of the Russian Geographical Society in St. Petersburg (later the Imperial Russian Geographical Society).

The main goal of the founders of the Society was: the study of “the native land and the people who inhabit it,” that is, to collect and disseminate geographical, statistical and ethnographic information about Russia itself.

Among the founders of the Russian Geographical Society: Admirals I. F. Krusenstern and P. I. Ricord, Vice Admiral F. P. Litke, Rear Admiral F. P. Wrangel, academicians K. I. Arsenyev, K. M. Baer, P. I. Keppen, V. Ya. Struve, military geographer, surveyor and writer M. P. Vronchenko and others. The idea of ​​​​creating a society turned out to be so interesting and useful that from the moment the Russian Geographical Society was founded, the best minds of Russia took part in its activities, and son of Nicholas I - Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich agreed to become its first chairman.

the main task Russian Geographical Society - collection and dissemination of reliable geographical information. Expeditions of the Russian Geographical Society played a big role in the development of Siberia, the Far East, Middle and Central Asia, the World Ocean, in the development of navigation, the discovery and study of new lands, in the development of meteorology and climatology. Since 1956, the Russian Geographical Society has been a member of the International Geographical Union.

The Novosibirsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society is headed by the Academic Council and the Presidium elected by it.

Currently, the NO RGS has about 200 full members.

The Novosibirsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society holds seminars, conferences, and photo exhibitions.

Field research, expeditions, and travel are organized in different regions of the world.

The first in Russia was organized in Novosibirsk Expedition center, allowing for large-scale, complex expeditions in any region of Asia

Website The Novosibirsk branch of the Russian Geographical Society is the largest in Russia, it contains more than 5,000 articles and materials. The site brings together travelers and scientists, photographers and people who want to know about the world around them.

We invite everyone to take part in the work of the Geographical Society.

We will be happy to post information about your travels, expeditions, and unusual phenomena on our website.

We are ready to post your information if it is interesting and meets the objectives of the Russian Geographical Society.

For members of the Russian Geographical Society, we are ready to help create their own section on our website.

Contact: Komarov Vitaly

Russian Geographical Society Novosibirsk branch

All-Russian public organization "Russian Geographical Society"(abbreviated VOO "RGO" listen)) is a geographical public organization of Russia, founded on August 18, 1845. One of the oldest geographical societies in the world after the Paris (1821), Berlin (1828) and London (1830).

The main task of the Russian Geographical Society is the collection and dissemination of reliable geographical information. Expeditions of the Russian Geographical Society played a big role in the development of Siberia, the Far East, Central and Central Asia, the World Ocean, in the development of navigation, the discovery and study of new lands, in the development of meteorology and climatology. Since 1956, the Russian Geographical Society has been a member of the International Geographical Union.

Official names

During its existence, the society changed its name several times:

Story

Establishment of a society

Among the founding members of the Society were also geographer and statistician K. I. Arsenyev, director of the department Agriculture Ministry of Internal Affairs A. I. Levshin, traveler P. A. Chikhachev, linguist, ethnographer, personal secretary and official for special assignments of the Minister of Internal Affairs V. I. Dal, Orenburg Governor-General V. A. Perovsky, writer and philanthropist prince V. F. Odoevsky.

Start of activity

The Russian Geographical Society was conceived as a geographical-statistical one, under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but by order of the emperor it was called Geographical. The initial funding of the Society was state and amounted to 10 thousand rubles per year; subsequently, patrons made a significant contribution to the financing of the enterprises of the Russian Geographical Society.

The society quickly covered all of Russia with its divisions. In 1851, the first two regional departments were opened - Caucasian in Tiflis and Siberian in Irkutsk, then departments were created: Orenburg, North-Western in Vilna, South-Western in Kiev, West Siberian in Omsk, Amur in Khabarovsk, Turkestan in Tashkent. They conducted extensive research in their regions.

During the imperial period of its activity, the Society served as a platform for informal dialogue between departments that carried out cartographic, statistical and research papers: “In his (Society’s) environment, the heads of various government agencies who were engaged in cartography of Russia, gathered to discuss the subjects of their studies.”

Structure

• Department of Physical Geography
• Department of Mathematical Geography
• Department of Statistics
• Department of Ethnography
• Political-Economic Committee
• Arctic Research Commission
• Seismic Commission

The creation of a permanent commission of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society (IRGS) for the study of the Arctic made it possible to systematize expeditionary activities and summarize the unique information obtained about the nature, geology and ethnography of the Far North. The world famous Chukotka, Yakutsk and Kola expeditions were carried out. A report on one of the society's Arctic expeditions interested the great scientist D.I. Mendeleev, who developed several projects for the development and research of the Arctic.

The Russian Geographical Society became one of the organizers and participants of the First International Polar Year, during which the Society created autonomous polar stations at the mouth of the Lena and on Novaya Zemlya.

The Seismic Commission of the Russian Geographical Society was created in 1887, after a strong earthquake in the city of Verny (Alma-Ata). The commission was created on the initiative and with the active participation of I.V. Mushketov.

On March 5, 1912, the Council of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society approved the regulations on the Permanent Environmental Commission.

Honorary members of the Society

During the imperial period, members of foreign royal families were elected honorary members of the society (for example, the personal friend of P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, the Belgian King Leopold I, the Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid II, the British Prince Albert), famous foreign researchers and geographers (Baron Ferdinand background Richthofen, Roald Amudsen, Fridtjof Nansen, etc.).

In addition to the immediate leaders of the Russian Empire and members of the royal family, more than 100 ministers, governors, members of the State Council and Senate were active members of the Geographical Society over the years. It was the fruitful work in the Geographical Society that helped many of them achieve such high results: D. A. Milyutin, who restored the prestige of the Russian army after the defeat in the Crimean War, received the post of Orenburg governor thanks to his outstanding Asian studies, Ya. V. Khanykov, senator and academician V. P. Bezobrazov and many others. etc.

The public opinion of those years was shaped by members of the Russian Geographical Society, Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow and Bishop Jacob of Nizhny Novgorod, book publishers Alfred Devrien and Adolf Marx, editors of the largest Russian and foreign newspapers E. E. Ukhtomsky and Mackenzie Wallace.

Philanthropists of the Society

The Russian Geographical Society also laid the foundations of the domestic nature reserve business; the ideas of the first Russian specially protected natural areas (SPNA) were born within the framework of the Permanent Environmental Commission of the IRGO, the founder of which was academician I. P. Borodin.

With the assistance of the Russian Geographical Society, the world's first higher education institution was created in 1918. educational institution geographical profile - Geographical Institute.

In 1919, one of the most famous members of the Society, V.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, founded the first geographical museum in Russia.

IN Soviet period The society actively developed new areas of activity related to the promotion of geographical knowledge: a commission with a corresponding focus was established, an Advisory Bureau was opened under the leadership of L. S. Berg, the famous lecture hall named after. Yu. M. Shokalsky.

In the post-war period, a rapid increase in the number of members of the Society was recorded; if in 1940 it consisted of 745 people, then in 1987 the number of members reached 30 thousand, that is, it increased almost 40 times.

Patrons and trustees of the society

Charter of the company

The Russian Geographical Society is the only public organization in Russia that has continuously existed since its creation in 1845. The charters of the Russian Geographical Society convincingly demonstrate the legally impeccable succession of the society throughout its 170-year history. The first charter of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society was approved by Nicholas I on December 28, 1849.

The current charter, according to which the Russian Geographical Society received the status of an “all-Russian public organization”, was approved by the XIV Congress of the All-Russian public organization “Russian Geographical Society”, protocol dated December 11, 2010.

Company Management

Over the years, the Russian Geographical Society was led by representatives of the Russian Imperial House, famous travelers, explorers and statesmen.

Chairmen and Presidents

From 1845 to the present, 12 leaders of the company have changed:

Honorary Presidents

• 1931-1940 - Yu. M. Shokalsky
• 1940-1945 - V. L. Komarov
• 2000-present V. - V. M. Kotlyakov

Vice-chairmen (vice-presidents)

• 1850-1856 - M. N. Muravyov (vice-chairman)
• 1857-1873 - F. P. Litke (vice-chairman)
• 1873-1914 - P. P. Semenov (vice-chairman)
• 1914-1917 - Yu. M. Shokalsky (vice-chairman)
• 1917-1920 - N. D. Artamonov (vice-chairman)
• 1920-1931 - G. E. Grumm-Grzhimailo (vice-chairman)
• 1931-1932 - N. Y. Marr (since 1931, deputy heads began to be called vice-presidents)
• 1932-1938 - position remained vacant
• 1938-1945 - I. Yu. Krachkovsky
• 1942-19?? - Z. Yu. Shokalskaya (acting vice president)
• 19??-1952
• 1952-1964 - S. V. Kalesnik
• 1964-1977 - A. F. Treshnikov
• 1977-1992 - S. B. Lavrov
• 1992-2000 - Yu. P. Seliverstov
• 2000-2002 - A. A. Komaritsyn
• 2002-2005 - ?
• 2005-2009 - ?
• 2009-2010 - ?
• 2010-present V. - A. N. Chilingarov (first vice-president); N. S. Kasimov (first vice-president); A. A. Chibilev; P. Ya. Baklanov; K. V. Chistyakov;

Chiefs of Staff

Chiefs of Staff (assistants to the chairman, scientific secretaries, executive directors)

Governing bodies

According to the current Charter (section 5), the structure of the Society’s governing bodies includes: Congress, Board of Trustees, Media Council, Governing Council, Academic Council, Council of Elders, Council of Regions, President of the Society, Executive Directorate and Audit Commission.

Headquarters operate in Moscow and St. Petersburg

Society Congresses Media Council

In 2010, the My Planet TV channel won the Golden Ray award in the Best Educational TV Channel of the Year category.

There is a program of the Russian Geographical Society on Radio Mayak.

Governing Council Academic Council Council of Elders Council of Regions Executive Directorate Audit Commission

Regional branches

The first “peripheral departments” of the society were created in:

• 1850 - Caucasian in Tiflis
• 1851 - Siberian in Irkutsk

Other branches of the society were created in Vilnius (1867), Orenburg (1867), Kyiv (1873), Omsk (1877), Khabarovsk (1894), Tashkent (1897) and other cities. Some organizations were completely autonomous - such as, for example, the Society for the Study of the Amur Region, created in Vladivostok in 1884 and only formally included in the IRGO in 1894. In 1876, the departments in Vilnius and Kyiv ceased their activities.

Awards of the Russian Geographical Society

The award system of the Russian Geographical Society includes a number of medals of different denominations (large gold medals, nominal gold medals, small gold, silver and bronze medals); various awards; honorary reviews and diplomas. No awards were given between 1930 and 1945.

• Big gold medals
  • The Konstantinovskaya Medal existed as the highest award of the Russian Geographical Society until 1929 (from 1924 to 1929 it was called the “Highest Award of Society”). In 2010 and 2011, remakes of the medal were awarded without award status, as a commemorative medal.
  • Great Gold Medal of the Geographical Society of the USSR (1946-1998), Great Gold Medal of the Russian Geographical Society (since 1998).
  • Great gold medal of the departments of ethnography and statistics (1879-1930).
• Personalized gold medals
  • Gold medal named after P. P. Semenov (1899-1930, since 1946).
  • Medal named after Count F. P. Litke (1873-1930, since 1946).
  • Gold medal named after N. M. Przhevalsky (since 1946).
• Small gold and equivalent medals
  • Small gold medal (1858-1930, since 1998) - awarded for useful geographical research that does not meet the conditions of the Konstantinov medal (S. V. Maksimov in 1861; B. Ya. Schweitzer; N. A. Korguev; A. N. Afanasyev; P. N. Rybnikov; P. O. Bobrovsky)
  • Medal named after N. M. Przhevalsky (silver; 1895-1930).
• Unnumbered small medals
  • Small Silver Medal (1858-1930, since 2012).
  • Small bronze medal (1858-1930).
• Awards
  • Prize named after N. M. Przhevalsky
  • Tillo Prize
  • Honorable mentions and diplomas

Library of the Russian Geographical Society

In 1845, simultaneously with the Russian Geographical Society, its library was created. The book collection began with books donated by members of the Society and personally sent by authors. The acquisition of the fund included the purchase of books and the exchange of publications with Russian and foreign scientific institutions. The creation and operation of such a library is of great cultural significance for Russia. Understanding this, 4 years after its founding, the Society’s management entrusts the first work on putting the library in order to Peter Semyonov (later Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, the most famous Russian geographer and statesman).

The collection of the Library of the Russian Geographical Society (490,000 copies) includes publications on the entire spectrum of geographical sciences and related disciplines - from physical geography to medical geography and geography of art. Foreign publications make up a significant part of the collection, which emphasizes the scientific nature of the library.

As part of the fund of rare books of the 16th-18th centuries. publications available Rossica(reports from foreigners about Russia), publications from the era of Peter I, classic descriptions of travel and discoveries.

The cartographic collection, numbering 42,000 items, contains rare and single copies of handwritten maps and atlases.

The richest reference fund is represented by encyclopedias, dictionaries, guidebooks, and bibliographic publications.

The collection of publications of the Russian Geographical Society contained copies of all publications published under the stamp “Russian Geographical Society”. Unfortunately, the lack of funding for regional branches in the 1990s broke this tradition. Today, the collection of publications of the Russian Geographical Society can no longer be characterized by maximum completeness.

The fund includes books from the personal libraries of members of the Russian Geographical Society who stood at its origins - Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, Semenov-Tyan-Shansky and other outstanding Russian geographers - Shokalsky, Pavlovsky, Shnitnikov, Kondratiev.

From 1938 to the present day, the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences (BAN) has been involved in the acquisition of publications for the Library of the Russian Geographical Society. Since the middle of the 20th century, the library of the Russian Geographical Society has been a department of the BAN.

The history of the Russian Geographical Society Library is inseparable from the history of Russia. During the Civil War, the Society Library was a kind of “club” of Petrograd geographers. During the Great Patriotic War the library was not intended for evacuation from besieged Leningrad, providing its funds to soldiers and commanders Soviet army even at night, when time was freed up to study literature. Materials on the hydrometeorological regime of Lake Ladoga were used to build the “Road of Life”.

The uniqueness of the RGS Library collection is emphasized by books inscribed by famous travelers and researchers of the 2nd half of the 20th century - T. Heyerdahl, Yu. Senkevich, Soviet cosmonauts, L. Gumilyov.

The Library's constant mission is Information Support professional and social activities of members of the Russian Geographical Society and employees of academic institutions in Russia.

Library Managers

Publications of the Russian Geographical Society

• News of the Russian Geographical Society - the oldest Russian geographical Science Magazine, published by the Society since 1865. Published in a very small edition (about 130 copies), it is known mainly to specialists. Editorial office in St. Petersburg.
• Questions of Geography - a series of scientific thematic collections on geography, published since 1946. By 2016, more than 140 collections in all branches of geographical science had been published.
• Ice and snow is a scientific journal covering issues of glaciology and cryolithology.

Currently, the publications of the Russian Geographical Society include the popular science magazine “Around the World,” published since 1861, with an editorial office in Moscow.

Scientific archive of the Russian Geographical Society

Simultaneously with the founding of the Society (1845), the Scientific Archive began to form - the oldest and only specifically geographical archive in the country. The first manuscripts that entered the archive were private donations. Somewhat later, the archive began to be systematically replenished with personal funds from members of the Russian Geographical Society.

Especially many manuscripts were received from members of the Society, lovers of geography from the broad masses of the rural intelligentsia: teachers, doctors, clergy in response to the ethnographic program of the Society, published in 1848 and sent out in the amount of seven thousand copies to all corners of Russia. The program included six sections: about appearance, about language, about home life, about the peculiarities of social life, about mental and moral abilities and education, about folk legends and monuments.

Their large number programs developed by the Department of Ethnography, it is necessary to indicate some that had a noticeable impact on the replenishment of manuscripts in the archive, these are: “A program for collecting information on folk superstitions and beliefs in Southern Russia"(1866), "Program for collecting folk legal customs" (1877), "Program for collecting information about wedding rites from Great Russians and foreigners of Eastern Russia" (1858). The manuscripts are distributed among the provinces. Collections from the Caucasus, Central Asian Russia, Siberia, the Baltic region, Belarus, Poland, and Finland are especially highlighted. Manuscripts of entire groups of nationalities are highlighted - Slavs (eastern, western, southern), nationalities of Central Asian Russia, Siberia, European Russia. Materials related to foreign countries are systematized by parts of the world: Europe, Asia, Africa, America, Australia and Oceania.

In total, the archive has 115 ethnographic collections - that's more than 13,000 storage units.

Among the documentary materials of the archive, the collection of the office of the Russian Geographical Society, numbering more than 5,000 storage units, stands out for its richness and diversity. These are manuscripts on organization and creation. Society, materials on scientific and organizational activities, materials on the organization of numerous expeditions equipped by the Society, correspondence on international relations of the Society, and so on.

A unique collection of documents are the personal funds of the great Russian geographers and travelers: P. P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky, N. M. Przhevalsky, N. N. Miklukho-Maclay, P. K. Kozlov, G. E. Grumm-Grzhimailo, A. I. Voeikova, L. S. Berg, V. L. Komarov, V. A. Obruchev, N. I. Vavilov, Yu. M. Shokalsky, B. A. Vilkitsky and others. Being great scientists and travelers, they left most interesting descriptions natural conditions, economics, everyday life, folk art places visited. For example, the personal collection of N. M. Przhevalsky contains 766 storage units, including manuscripts and field diaries of all five trips to Central Asia.

Currently, the Society's archives contain 144 personal funds - that's more than 50,000 storage units.

The photo archive is rich and varied, numbering more than 3,000 items.

These are photographs from expeditionary research, photographic landscapes, types of population, everyday scenes, views of cities and villages, and so on. Photos of the Resettlement Administration.

The collection of drawings is especially highlighted - 227 storage units.

Medals are stored in the archive as historical relics - this is 120 storage units.

The archive contains 98 items that are of historical value - these are objects of Buddhist cult, unique vases made of bronze and porcelain of Japanese and Chinese work, and so on.

The archive of the Russian Geographical Society is a scientific department where representatives of various specialties study its materials.

The Society's archive participates in various international exhibitions and is engaged in publishing activities. Archive staff advise and select documents for documentaries and feature films, and so on.

Heads of the scientific archive

A significant contribution to the development of the scientific archive of the Geographical Society was made by E. I. Gleyber, who was in charge of it from 1936 to 1942. During the siege of Leningrad, on January 14, 1942, he died of exhaustion in the archive room.

• After the death of E.I. Gleyber, B.A. Valskaya was appointed head of the archive.
• After B. A. Valskaya, the archive was headed for several decades by T. P. Matveeva.
• 1995 - present - Maria Fedorovna Matveeva.

Museum of the Russian Geographical Society

In 1860, Academician K. M. Baer headed a commission for the scientific selection of exhibits that were to be included in the museum fund of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. But only 100 years later, in 1970, the V Congress of the USSR Civil Defense adopted a Resolution on the organization of the museum, approved and financed by the Museum Council under the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences. The Museum of the Geographical Society of the USSR was included in the list of museums of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

The museum was opened on December 9, 1986 in the Society’s mansion, built in 1907-1908 according to the design of the architect G.V. Baranovsky, where the rich and vibrant history of the Russian Geographical Society was reflected.

The museum exposition clearly showed original documents and exhibits, paintings and ancient volumes that arouse the sincere interest of visitors to this intimate and very cozy corner of the building.

During the construction of the building of the Russian Geographical Society, no halls were provided for the museum, but the interiors of the building itself - the lobby, staircase, library, archive, offices and assembly halls - represent museum premises, one of which houses the Museum.

Small in area, but voluminous in documentary content, the museum did not become an exhibition of documents or an “iconostasis” of portraits. The flat material in the display cases is decorated with artistic techniques, not monotonously, but lively and interesting. After all, voluminous exhibits back in 1891 from the IRGO were transferred to museums in St. Petersburg: the Hermitage, the Russian Museum, the Botanical and Zoological Museums, the Museum of the Mining Institute (for lack of space to house them in the IRGO).

The exhibition includes many historical photographs, letters and maps of famous explorers and travelers: A. I. Voeikov, N. M. Knipovich, R. E. Kols, G. Ya. Sedov, I. V. Mushketov, S. S. Neustruev, V. K. Arsenyev, B. P. Orlov, Yu. M. Shokalsky, I. D. Papanin, S. V. Kalesnik, A. F. Treshnikov. But there are also voluminous objects. Among the materials of V. A. Obruchev there are cute little things from a field first aid kit, an old cooking utensil, and a smoking pipe. Next to the diary kept during the expedition to the Pamirs in 1885-1886, written in the amazing handwriting of G. E. Grumm-Grzhimailo, a barometer and a pen box; perfectly preserved drawings of butterflies, which he collected together with Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich (later chairman of the IRGO). Here is the “correspondence” of these researchers who are interested in entomology. And next to it is the “calling card” of Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich Romanov, the chairman of the IRGO, with his request to resign as chairman of the IRGO in connection with the change of power in the country.

The official website of the Russian Geographical Society is a modern web publication of the society founded back in 1845.

History and modernity, the opportunity to get acquainted with all the great, outstanding travelers who played an important role in the life of the country. Loud discoveries, all the climatic diversity of the Earth, and many other questions will allow you to find the answer on the official website of the Russian Geographical Society.

For many admirers of geography, prospectors, researchers and adventurers seeking to understand all the wisdom and secrets of Planet Earth, the Russian Geographical Society becomes an opportunity to discover mysteries and secrets, to learn everything that is hidden from human eyes. The society's website has become a source of knowledge and communication, offering the most interesting materials on history and modern geography.

Availability of information and news, the opportunity to use library materials, and become one of the honorary members is offered on the website of the geographical society. The materials offered by the official website can be used in scientific research and for independent study.

The “Road of Discovery” project is a joint project of the Russian Geographical Society and Russian Railways (), dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Projects, lectures, archives and library

If school students are interested in the online dictation offered on the website, which is designed for the 2017 curriculum, then students can take advantage of the archives, library and scientific materials for writing coursework and theses. For anyone interested in the materials of the Geographical Society, access is available simply online.

The site is of particular importance for those who are really interested in geography. The information on the official website becomes a real source of knowledge and detailed study. Any information is of scientific interest and can be used for further study.

Geography is a science that remains one of the most in demand. The number of geographers and those simply interested in science is constantly growing. To get the opportunity to use unique materials, just go to the official website, where all the information is open and accessible.

Website of the Russian Geographical Society for everyone

Those who want to find out how the photo competition went, or attend interesting lectures, find out at what stage interesting projects are at, or join members of the geographical society, the official website offers.

Studying the site in detail is simply fascinating. This is a world for those who want to know the deepest secrets of the Earth.
The Geographical Society website offers:

Interesting and fascinating information.
Scientific research and development.
A detailed study of each region of the country.
Scientific grants and awards.
The richest library of the society.
Youth educational club.
You can register and join members of Russian society.

Each visitor can decide for himself how to use the materials of the site www.rgo.ru/ru. Familiarization or detailed study, use of the material to write your own work, or simply a journey into the world of geography.
Only reliable information and only the best materials are offered by the official website of the Russian Geographical Society for all visitors and regular members of the unique club.