Contribution of geographical congresses and the International Geographical Union to the development of cartography

Summary

This article reviews the profound and enduring contributions of the International Geographical Congresses and the International Geographical Union (IGU) to the development of cartography over the course of a century. The author begins by noting that the 22nd Congress marks the start of the second century of international geographical meetings and coincides with the 50th anniversary of the IGU, making it a significant milestone. Tracing the history of cartography from ancient Greece, through the Renaissance work of Mercator and Ortelius, to the establishment of military topographic services in the 18th-19th centuries, the article highlights how cartography had become separated from geography, focusing on mathematical and technical aspects. The first Congress in Antwerp in 1871, held in honor of Ortelius and Mercator, aimed to reconnect these fields. The article details how successive congresses and IGU commissions revived scientific cartography, shifting its focus from mere topographical mapping to thematic mapping and fostering major international projects like the International Map of the World and national atlases. In the latter half of the 20th century, the establishment of the International Cartographic Association (ICA) and its conferences further expanded cartography's scope to include marine thematic cartography, urban mapping, automation, and remote sensing. The article concludes by summarizing the key contributions of the congresses and the IGU: reviving and establishing the scientific foundations of cartography; initiating and solving numerous internationally significant scientific problems; introducing progressive research methods such as photography, aerial survey, electronics, automation, and remote sensing; and strengthening cartography's links with geography and other related sciences. In the era of scientific-technical revolution, these international organizations have continuously promoted cartographic progress through scientific differentiation, interdisciplinary collaboration, scientific synthesis, and technological integration, while also enhancing international scientific cooperation and understanding.