The ''Société Royale Belge de Géographie'' (In English, the ''Royal Belgian Geographical Society'') or SRBG, is a
Belgian learned society
A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...
which works to promote
geographical sciences.
History
The Société was founded on 27 August 1876 as the
Belgian Society of Geography a few days before the opening of the
Brussels Geographic Conference {{Expand French, Conférence géographique de Bruxelles, date=August 2022
The Brussels Geographic Conference was held in Brussels, Belgium in September 1876 at the request of King Leopold II of Belgium. At the conference were invited nearly forty w ...
to promote the exploration of various parts of the world.
[SRBG history page](_blank)
/ref> It was initially involved with commercial investment in Belgian colonies. In 1882 King Leopold II
Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908.
Born in Brussels as the second but eldest-surviving son of King Le ...
authorised the society to use the prefix "Royal".Adrien de Gerlache
Baron Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery (; 2 August 1866 – 4 December 1934) was a Belgian officer in the Belgian Royal Navy who led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99.
Early years
Born in Hasselt in eastern Belgium as t ...
first unveiled his plans for the Belgian Antarctic Expedition
The Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–1899 was the first expedition to winter in the Antarctic region. Led by Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery aboard the RV ''Belgica'', it was the first Belgian Antarctic expedition and is considered the fir ...
to the society in 1894.[.]
In 1900 the society had more than one thousand members including several explorers such as the American, Richard Mohun.[.] By the middle of the twentieth century the society had changed its objectives from exploration to scientific research and study.European Society of Geography
European, or Europeans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...
and publishes the ''Belgian Journal of Geography'', now branded as ''Belgeo'' (). The SRBG awards a gold medal to noted geographers and explorers.[.]
Presidents
* Count Hippolyte d'Ursel
Count Marie Hippolyte Adrien Ludovic d'Ursel (Brussels, 17 November 1850 – 9 December 1937) was a Belgium, Belgian politician and historian.
Family
A cadet (genealogy), cadet member of the Ursel family, he was a grandson of Charles-Joseph, 4th ...
.
See also
*
References
Bibliography
;issued by the society
* Bulletin de la Société Belge de Géographie, 1876-1881
* Bulletin de la Société Royale Belge de Géographie, 1882-1961
* Revue belge de géographie, 1962-1999
;about the society
*
*
*
External links
Official homepage
1876 establishments in Belgium
Geography of Belgium
Geographic societies
Organizations established in 1876
Organisations based in Belgium with royal patronage
Learned societies of Belgium
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