Geographer’s Day: loving, discovering and exploring the country at the National Centre RUSSIA

Geographer’s Day is celebrated in Russia on 18 August. It honours those who study the country’s vast expanse, discover new routes and help others understand the links between history, nature and territorial development. The date holds particular significance for the National Centre RUSSIA: here, geography is not only a subject of study but also a way of telling the story of the country, its past, present and future.

The date is connected with the history of the Russian Geographical Society. On 18 August 1845, Emperor Nicholas I approved a proposal to establish the Imperial Russian Geographical Society in Saint Petersburg. Exactly 175 years later, on 18 August 2020, the first Geographer’s Day was held. The choice of date is symbolic: the history of geographical knowledge in Russia is a history of journeys, expeditions and scientific discoveries that gradually transformed perceptions of the country’s territory and the wider world.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

Russian explorers travelled across Siberia and the Far East, studied the Arctic seas, charted maritime routes and embarked on expeditions to the most remote territories. Among the most important chapters in the history of Russian geography are the Great Northern Expedition of the 18th century, the exploration of Kamchatka and the Far East, the expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, during which Antarctica was discovered in 1820, and the research conducted by Gennady Nevelskoy. Every such expedition involved far more than maps and scientific reports. At their heart were people, their knowledge, courage, hard work and willingness to venture where no route had yet been charted.

Today, geography can be studied through more than textbooks alone. At the National Centre RUSSIA, it became the focus of the major exposition project "Geography Lessons". Held from 3 April to 9 July 2026, the exposition brought together unique maps, atlases, globes, archival materials and other objects from the collections of the Russian State Library, the Russian Geographical Society, the archives of the Russian Ministry of Defence, leading universities and research centres. Many of the exhibits had never previously left their repositories.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

Geography helps us understand more than where a particular place is located. It explains why cities emerge in certain locations, how natural conditions influence the economy, how transport links regions and why the development of such a vast country is impossible without an understanding of its territory. This is why "Geography Lessons" was designed not as a conventional historical exposition, but as an educational space hosting themed lectures and workshops.

Photo: Press Office of the National Centre RUSSIA

In addition, the Forum of Geography Teachers and Students of Specialist Universities was held at the National Centre RUSSIA in June 2026. It brought together more than 800 participants from all of the country’s federal districts. The discussions focused on modern textbooks, digital technologies, expedition work and ways to make geography more engaging for schoolchildren.

Geographer’s Day is a reminder that Russia’s territory is not merely a vast area on a map. It encompasses thousands of kilometres of roads and railway lines, Arctic expanses and Far Eastern shores, mountains and plains, rivers and seas, cities and small settlements. Most importantly, it is home to the people who live and work across this territory.