Everything about Royal Geographical Society totally explained
The
Royal Geographical Society is a
British learned society founded in 1830 with the name
Geographical Society of London for the advancement of geographical science, under the patronage of
King William IV. It absorbed the 'Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa'--also known as the
African Association--(founded by
Sir Joseph Banks in 1788), the
Raleigh Club and the
Palestine Association. It was given a Royal charter by
Queen Victoria in 1859.
History
Founding members of the Society include Sir
John Barrow, Sir
John Franklin and
Francis Beaufort. It has been a key associate and supporter of many famous
explorers and
expeditions, including those of:
From the middle of the 19th century until the end of World War I, expeditions sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society were frequently front page news, and the opinions of its president and board members would be avidly sought by journalists and editors.
Today the Society is a leading world centre for geographical learning - supporting education, teaching, research and scientific expeditions, as well as promoting public understanding and enjoyment of geography. It is a member of the
Science Council. The society has merged with the Institute of British Geographers and is properly known as the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers). The main offices of the Society are at
Lowther Lodge in
Kensington, in
London.
Governance and past Presidents
Council
The Society is governed by its
Board of trustees called the Council, which is chaired by its President. The members of Council and the President are elected from its
Fellowship. The council consists of 25 members, 22 of which are elected by
Fellows and serve for a three year term. In addition to the elected trustees there are
Honorary Members (who include the
Duke of Kent as Honorary President and
Michael Palin as an Honorary Vice-President) who sit on the council.
Committees
The society has five specialist committees that it derives advice from
Education Committee
Research Committee
Expedition and Fieldwork Committee
Information Resources Committee
Finance Committee
Selected list of past Presidents
Viscount Goderich The Earl of Ripon (1830-1833)
Sir Roderick Murchison (1851-1853)
Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson (1871-1873 and 1874-1876)
Sir Clements Robert Markham (1893-1905)
Sir George Taubman Goldie (1905-1908)
Major Leonard Darwin (1905-1911)
Colonel Sir Thomas Hungerford Holdich (1919-1922)
Sir James Wordie
Lord Shackleton (1971-1974)
Sir Crispin Tickell (1989-1993)
Earl Jellicoe (1993-1997)
Earl of Selborne (1997-2000)
Membership
There are four categories of individual membership:
Ordinary membership
Anyone with an interest in Geography is eligible to apply to become a member of the RGS.
Young Geographer
People aged between 14 and 24 currently studying, a recent graduate of geography or a related subject.
Fellowship
Fellowship of the Society is conferred to anyone over the age of 21 who has been an Ordinary member of the society for five previous years and/or has an involvement with geography (through research, publication, profession etc) and must be proposed and seconded by existing Fellows. Fellows are granted the use of the post-nominal FRGS.
Postgraduate Fellow of the Society
Is open to anyone who is a postgraduate student in Geography or an allied subject at a United Kingdom university.
Chartered Geographer
Since 2002 the Society has been granted the power to award the status of Chartered Geographer. The status of Chartered Geographer can only be obtained by those who have a degree in geography or related subject and at least 6 years geographical experience, or 15 years geographical work experience for those without a degree. Being awarded the status of Chartered Geographer allows the use of the post-nominal letters C Geog and is evidence of a commitment to continuing professional development and the highest professional standards. For further details on how to apply please visit(External Link
)
Chartered Geographer (Teacher) is a professional accreditation available to teachers who can demonstrate competence, experience and professionalism in the use of geographical knowledge or skills in and out of the classroom, and who are committed to maintaining their professional standards through ongoing continuing professional development (CPD). For more information visit (External Link)
Research groups
The society isn't only a learned body but also carries out research in the following research groups.
Biogeography Research Group
| British Geomorphic Research Group |
| Climate Change Research Group |
Contract Research and Teaching Forum |
| Developing Areas Research Group |
Economic geography Research Group |
| Geographical Information Science Research Group |
Geography of Health Research Group |
| Geography of Lesiure and Tourism Research Group |
Higher Education Research Group |
| Historical Geography Research Group |
History and Philosophy of Geography Research Group |
| Mountain Research Group |
Participatory Geographies Working Group |
| Planning and Environment Research Group |
Political Geography Research Group |
| Population geography Research Group |
Postgraduate Forum |
| The Post-Socialist Geographies Research Group |
Quantitative Methods Research Group |
| Rural Geography Research Group |
Social and Cultural Geography Research Group |
| Space, Sexualities and Queer Working Group |
|
geographers that have contributed to the advancement of geography.
The most prestigious of these awards are the Gold Medals (Founder's Medal 1830 and the Patron's Medal 1838). The award is given for "the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery", and are approved by Queen Elizabeth II. The awards originated as an annual gift of fifty guineas from King William IV, first made in 1831, "to constitute a premium for the encouragement and promotion of geographical science and discovery". The Society decided in 1839 to change this monetary award into two gold medals: Founder’s Medal and the Patron’s. The award has been given to notable geographers including David Livingstone (1855), Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen (1878), Alfred Russel Wallace (1892), and Frederick Courtney Selous (1893) to more recent winners including Professor William Morris Davis (1919), Sir Halford John Mackinder (1945), Professor L. Dudley Stamp (1949), Professor Richard Chorley (1987) and Professor David Harvey (1995). In 2004 Harish Kapadia was awarded the Patron's Medal for contributions to geographical discovery and mountaineering in the Himalayas, making him the second Indian to receive the award in its history. In 2005 the Founder's Medal was awarded to Professor Sir Nicholas Shackleton for his research in the field of Quaternary Palaeoclimatology and the Patron's Medal was awarded to Professor Jean Malaurie for a lifelong study of the Arctic and its people.
In total the society awards 17 medals and awards including Honorary Membership and Fellowships. Some of the other awards given by the Society include:
The Victoria Medal (1902) for "conspicuous merit in research in Geography"
The Murchsion Award (1882) for the "publication judged to contribute most to geographical science in preceding recent years"
The Cuthbert Peak Award (1883) for "those advancing geographical knowledge of human impact on the environment through the application of contemporary methods, including those of earth observation and mapping"
The Edward Heath Award (1984) for "for geographical research in either Europe or the developing world"
The society also offers 16 grants for various purposes ranging from established researcher grants to expedition and fieldwork teams to photography and media grants. The Ralph Brown and the Gilchrist Fieldwork grants are the largest grants awarded by the society each worth £15,000.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Royal Geographical Society'.
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