Société de Geographie de Genève

Société de geographie de Genève
purpose	Dissemination of the geosciences
President:	Remy Villemin
Establishment date:	1858
Number of members:	160
Seat :	Geneva
Website:	Société de Geographie de Genève

The Société de geographie de Genève (Geographical Society of Geneva) is a scientific association whose aim is the study, advancement and dissemination of geographical science in all its branches. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland .

history

The Geographical Society of Geneva emerged from a gathering of friends who followed the rapid steps of the discoveries, reported on their readings and observations, and told of their travels.

It was founded on March 24, 1858 and is one of the oldest geographical societies in the world. It was initiated by Henri Bouthillier de Beaumont (agronomist and cartographer) and the later founders of the Red Cross Henri Dunant , Georges and Louis Appia , who were joined in 1861 by Gustave Moynier and Guillaume-Henri Dufour . It maintains relationships with geographic societies in Switzerland and abroad as well as with other learned societies. Society is neutral on political and religious issues.

Geography is a science at the intersection between the physical and human spheres. The SGEO enables a dialogue between scientists from Geneva, Switzerland and abroad: from Guillaume-Henri Dufour to Alfred Bertrand (1856–1924, explorer, president from 1909), from Eugène Pittard to Paul Guichonnet and Claude Raffestin . Coming from often different, complementary disciplines (ethnology, history, economics, etc.), they wanted to share their knowledge, discoveries, and enthusiasm for geosciences, travel, and exploration. The geographic society anticipated geography instruction before it was institutionalized in schools and universities, with the scientific dimension taking precedence over the political.

For more than 150 years around ten conferences and numerous excursions, mainly for members, have been organized every year. The company also publishes the annual Geneva geography magazine “Le Globe”.

Palais de l'Athénée: Seat of the SGEO from 1864 to 2007
Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Genève: Seat of the SGEO since 2007

Le Globe magazine

The magazine was published for the first time in 1860 under the name "Bulletin et Mémoires de la Société de Géographie de Genève" and from 1866 under the name "Le Globe" and is one of the oldest geography journals in the world and the oldest still existing French-language geography journal.

General Guillaume-Henri Dufour published his "Note on the map of Switzerland drawn up by the Federal Staff in 1861" in Le Globe.

Initially published by the Society, it was drawn up between 1994 and 2016 in collaboration with the geographic department of the University of Geneva . The company has been the sole publisher again since 2017. The Globe appears once a year and is available on the “Perseé” website with all previous editions.

Le Globe 1866
Le Globe 1908: decline of the Glacier des Bois
LE Globe 1910: Grotte de Carnassier, prehistoric discoveries in the Dordogne
Le Globe 1911: The discovery of the North Pole by Robert Edwin Peary