Putting Geography on the map in The Netherlands
The Royal Dutch Geographical Society was founded in 1873. Initially, the main aim of the Society was to increase the scientific knowledge of the world and the earth. Expeditions were organized into unknown territories. The members of the expeditions also had an eye on the commercial possibilities of the areas they explored. Reminders from that period – like authentic maps and original expedition equipment – are lent to various museums in The Netherlands where they are on display. In total, around forty expeditions have been organized under the auspices of the Society. All the map making, producing inventories and collecting samples has resulted in an impressive cultural heritage.
When the need to explore vanished, the Society turned its focus to geographers and geography in The Netherlands. Modern-day KNAG stresses the distinctive and useful characteristics of geography as an academich discipline, a school subject and a profession. Besides this, the Society provides services for its members and functions as a physical and digital meeting place to share ideas, knowledge and information. Today, the Society is the professional association of academic geographers, geography teachers, geography students and professional geographers with about 3000 members. The promotion of geography in general, and the improvement of its position in primary, secondary and higher education and in scientific and applied research, are main tasks carried out by the Society. It also offers a venue for discussion and activities among geographers in a range of professions in commercial research, education, management, policy etcetera. Members come from both the public and the private sector and at they operate at the national as well as the international level.
Koninklijk Nederlands Aardrijkskundig Genootschap (KNAG)
Ganzenmarkt 6
P.O. Box 805
3500 AV Utrecht
The Netherlands
Tel. +31-30-2361202
Email: info@knag.nl
Websites: www.knag.nl; www.geografie.nl
Publications
The Society publishes the journals: Geografie, a journal in Dutch for geographers and other persons interested in geography who want to be kept informed on a broad range of topics relevant for them and on education in geography; and the scientific, English-language journal Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie (Journal of Economic and Social Geography) which is a renowned peer-reviewed journal with a broad scope in Human Geography. KNAG owns this journal that is published by Wiley. Also, a number of geography related websites and social media accounts are managed.
Last revision: 28-6-2012