Down to Earth: 32nd International Geographical Congress

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By IGC 2012 | 28 August 2012 | 102

The world of geography is coming together in the German city of Cologne (Köln) this year for the 32nd International Geographical Congress. The IGC is the quadrennial meeting of the International Geographical Union (IGU). In collaboration with the local organisers I have drawn two maps of where the more than 2,700 registered participants. The maps show the Geographers from more than 80 countries who will attend the IGU congress from August 26-30..

The IGC website states, that “it is not surprising that participants from Germany form the majority (but not even half of the number) and that many European countries can be found in the top 20-list. But we are particularly pleased to welcome so many colleagues from far away regions of the world, i.e. from Japan, P.R. China, United States, India, Australia, Brazil and Iran. And: It will be a pleasure to welcome also some geographers from countries we are not used to see every day, only to mention Azerbaijan, Oman or Malaysia” (Quoted from igc2012.org).

he IGC is the quadrennial meeting of the International Geographical Union (IGU). The congress combines the traditional meetings of the IGC Commissions with a wide range of sessions addressing the following four key topics: 

• Global Change and Globalisation
• Society and Environment
• Risks and Conflicts
• Urbanisation and Demographic Change

Geographers bring the wide-ranging perspectives and methodology of their subject to bear on these four major thematic complexes and contribute to the solution of urgent scientific and socio-political issues – bringing research down to earth.