Dossier. Russian Geographical Society

History 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 the native country, its population, economy, literally "was 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 the Antarctic land. F.F. Bellingshausen and M.K. Lazarev in 1820 - 1821, the expedition of A.F. Middendorf (1843 - 1844) to Eastern Siberia did not know equal in scale in the history of geographical research.

And yet, for such a huge country, all this was negligible, which was perfectly 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. Koeppen, an encyclopedic scientist, an outstanding statistician and ethnographer, a circle of statisticians and travelers began to meet regularly. Later, the well-known naturalist and traveler K.M. Baer, ​​a scientist with an extraordinary breadth of scientific interests, and the famous navigator Admiral F.P. This meeting can be considered the forerunner 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 collection, F.P. Litke defined the main task of the Russian Geographical Society as "cultivating the geography of Russia." physical, geography, mathematical, statistics and ethnography.

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

The first actual head 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 Tyan-Shansky to his surname and led the society 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 the scientific and social life of the country.

Travel is one of the oldest methods of learning about the world around us. For geography in the past, it was, in fact, the most important, when only the testimony of eyewitnesses who visited certain countries could provide reliable information about the peoples, economy and physical appearance of the Earth. Scientific expeditions, which gained a large scale in the 18th and 19th centuries. were, in the apt expression of N.M. Przhevalsky, essentially "scientific reconnaissance", as they could meet the needs of descriptive regional studies and satisfy the demands 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 in the same place: “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 the Far East. The Vilyui expedition, N.M. Przhevalsky’s travels in the Ussuri region, the exploration of Siberia by P.A. Kropotkin, B.I. Dybovsky, A.L. Chekanovsky, I.D. Chersky, N.M. Yadrintsev, a large ethnographic expedition that covered the expanses of Eastern Siberia with its routes (which was financed by the wealthy Lena gold miner A.M. Sibiryakov) under the leadership of D.A. Klements, studies by V.A.Obruchev, travels in Kamchatka by V.L.Komarov.

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

The work was carried out outside of Russia. Scientists worked in Mongolia and China, whose names are not forgotten even today: N.M. Przhevalsky, M.V. Pevtsov, K.I. Bogdanovich, G.N. Potanin, G.E. .Kozlov, V.A.Obruchev - all active figures of the Russian Geographical Society.

In Africa and Oceania, the travels and researches of N.S. Gumilyov, E.P. Kovalevsky, V.V. Junker, E.N. oceans have become perhaps the most remarkable events of the Russian Geographical Society.

The life of the RGS 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, PK Kozlov's remarkable 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 release of the necessary funds 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 and Statistical Dictionary of the USSR, which was supposed to replace the dictionary 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. So, in 1922, the Society protested against the proposal of the Royal Geographical Society of London to remove the names in Tibet associated with the names of Russian travelers. In 1923, the Council of the Russian Geographical Society protested against the Norwegian renaming on the Novaya Zemlya map. Since 1923, the international relations of the Society have been gradually restored, thanks to 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 further. Of course, there were also big 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 gathered in Leningrad, which was attended by 803 delegates - a record figure even today. Many reports at the congress (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 the allied structures and the need to rename, return to the Geographical Society of the USSR its original historical name -" Russian Geographical Society ".

Today, the Russian Geographical Society is an all-Russian public organization that unites 27,000 members on the territory of 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 the money of members of the Society, largely thanks to the efforts of P.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky. Today, members of various departments and commissions of the Central Organization (there are 33 of them) gather daily in the halls of the Society to discuss modern problems of geography and related disciplines. The building houses the Scientific Archive, Museum, Library, Central Lecture Hall. Yu.M.Shokalsky, printing house.

The Russian Geographical Society still continues to work for the benefit of the people of our country, offering its great scientific potential to both the state and individual subjects of the Russian Federation. Thus, the Society tries to work and even earn. But ... The main problem in the activities of the Russian Geographical Society, as, apparently, in general, institutions of science and culture, 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: "Be kind, accept 10 thousand silver rubles" (for the needs of the Society) have not yet returned.

Since the founding of the Russian Geographical Society, the state understood the need to financially support the Society and did so until the early 1990s. Today, high government officials at 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, respond with a cold refusal, referring to 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 the tsarist and Soviet times, the laws were hardly softer.

Science develops only when scientists can communicate, share the results of their research. To this end, the Russian Geographical Society regularly holds congresses.

In 1974, local branches of the Russian Geographical Society were organized in Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk. Kislovodsk branch now has 26 people. They annually hold scientific conferences, at which reports on the results of their expeditions have repeatedly been made by the deputy director of the Regional Museum named after A.I. Prozritelev-Prave, chief archaeologist of the Stavropol Territory Savenko Sergey Nikolaevich, candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, astrophysicist Vladimir Ivanovich Chernyshov, geologists and local historians of the cities of Kavminvod, 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 Department of Scientific Tourism of the Russian Geographical Society. Reports about them are published and exposed on the Internet.

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

The Russian Geographical Society is a public organization aimed at a deep and comprehensive study of the geographical, ecological and cultural aspects in the history of Russia. This organization brings together not only specialists in the field of geography, travelers, ecologists, but also people who seek to gain new knowledge about Russia and are ready to help preserve its natural resources and wealth.

The Russian Geographical Society (abbreviated 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: at 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 Fyodor Petrovich Litke. He created the Society in order to master Russia and study it comprehensively.

Among the creators of the Russian Geographical Society, one can distinguish famous navigators such as Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern, 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 Peter Ivanovich Koeppen. Military leaders also contributed to the development of the Russian Geographical Society: geodesist Mikhail Pavlovich Vronchenko, statesman Mikhail Nikolaevich Muravyov. Among the Russian intelligentsia, who took an active part in the creation of the Society, we can single out the linguist Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl, the 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 Romanov Imperial House, and the 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 the world centers of origin of cultivated plants. The Russian Geographical Society was also headed by the Soviet zoologist, 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 "Nature of the USSR." L.S. Berg can be considered the creator of modern physical geography, as he is the founder of landscape science. By the way, the landscape division proposed by Lev Semenovich has survived 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 of the Russian Federation Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu. And in 2010, the Board of Trustees was formed, headed by the President of the country Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. At 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 also discussed. In addition, various grants of 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. drawing attention to the historical, cultural sites of Russia for the development of tourism.

The Russian Geographical Society is trying to involve representatives of the youth environment in 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 closely cooperates with environmental, geographic, environmental and charitable organizations, educational institutions (including federal universities), research and scientific centers, 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, therefore it does not receive state funding.

The Russian Geographical Society is covered in a variety of media. For example, in the magazine "Arguments and Facts", in the newspapers "Kommersant", "Rossiyskaya Gazeta", 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. To date, 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 the 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 given to members of the Russian Geographical Society for their achievements and usefulness in geography. The Konstantinovsky medal was received by Vladimir Ivanovich Dal for "The Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language" (1863), Vladimir Afanasyevich Obruchev for his works on the geology of Asia (1900) and many others.

2. Big gold medal:

The award is given for work 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, which resulted in some important discovery. A large gold medal was received by Nikolai Vasilyevich Slyunin for his essay “The Okhotsk-Kamchatka Territory” (1901), Grigory Nikolayevich Potanin for his work entitled “Essays on North-Western Mongolia” (1881).

3. Big silver medal:

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

4. Gold medal to them. Fyodor Petrovich Litke:

Only scientists who have made the most important discoveries in the oceans and polar countries can receive such an award. For the first time, the medal was awarded to Konstantin Stepanovich Staritsky for hydrographic research in the Pacific Ocean (1874). Over the years, the medal was awarded to Mikhail Vasilievich Pevtsov for his work “Essay on a trip to Mongolia” (1885), Leonid Ludvigovich Breitfus for the study of the Barents Sea (1907 d) and others.

5. Gold medal to them. Petr Petrovich Semyonov:

This medal is awarded for the study of environmental issues, scientific works on soil geography and description of vast parts of Russia and other countries. It was founded in 1899 and was awarded to 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 to them. 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. It was established on August 29, 1946 and was awarded once every 2 years. One of those who received this award is Alexander Mikhailovich Berlyant.

7. Gold medal to them. Alexander Fedorovich Treshnikov:

The medal is awarded to participants of 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 to the development of the polar regions.

8. Gold medal to them. Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maclay:

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

9. Small gold and silver medals:

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

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

1. Prize to them. 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 website of the Russian Geographical Society.

3. Certificate of honor:

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

4. Nominal 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 tasks of the Society.

Grant projects should be of great public importance and be oriented toward 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 - up 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 in the amount of 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", "Geographic News", etc.

The Russian Geographical Society has 85 regional branches in the Russian Federation. Their activity is to increase the level of knowledge of citizens about their region, increase the number of activists of the Russian Geographical Society, and draw attention to the environmental environment.

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

History and modernity, an opportunity to get acquainted with all the great, outstanding travelers who played an important role in the life of the country. High-profile discoveries, all the climatic diversity of the Earth, 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 riddles and secrets, to know everything that is hidden from human eyes. The website of the society has become a source of knowledge and communication, offering the most interesting materials of history and modern geography.

The availability of information and news, the opportunity to use the materials of the library, to 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, for self-study.

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

Projects, lecture halls, archives and library

If school students are interested in the online dictation offered on the site, which is designed for the 2017 curriculum, then students can use the archives, library and scientific materials to write term papers and theses. For all those interested in the materials of the Geographical Society, access is open simply online.

The site is of particular importance for those who are really fond of geography. The information of the official site 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 sought after. 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 available.

Website of the Russian Geographical Society for everyone

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

A detailed study of the site is simply captivating. This is a world for those who wish to know the deepest secrets of the Earth.
The Geographic Society website suggests:

Interesting and exciting information.
Scientific research and development.
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 the members of the Russian society.

How to use the materials of the site www.rgo.ru/ru, each visitor can decide for himself. Acquaintance or detailed study, using the material to write your own work, or just 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 permanent members of the unique club.

Novosibirsk Branch of the Russian Geographical Society (RGO)

Our site 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: bringing together all geographers, scientists, teachers, professionals and just nature lovers, studying and solving urgent problems of the environment, the interaction of 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 command 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: to study "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. Kruzenshtern and P. I. Rikord, 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. I - Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich agreed to become its first chairman.

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, 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 and conferences, photo exhibitions.

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

The first in Russia was organized in Novosibirsk forwarding center, which allows to carry out 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 unites 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 place on our website information about your travels, expeditions, unusual phenomena.

We are ready to place 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: Vitaly Komarov

Russian Geographical Society Novosibirsk Branch