Société de Géographie

What Société de Géographie does

The Société de Géographie is a French non-profit association (association reconnue d'utilité publique) founded on December 15, 1821 in Paris, recognized as the oldest geographic society in the world. Headquartered at 184 boulevard Saint-Germain in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district since 1878, it serves professional geographers, academic researchers, students, explorers, and geography enthusiasts through a portfolio of membership-based services. Its core offerings include the quarterly journal La Géographie (published continuously since 1822, currently at issue 1601), approximately 18 public conferences per year, 5 Senate lunch-debates per year, colloquia, commented study trips, a 64-prize awards program (9 Grand Prix and 55 foundation prizes), and access to its deposited heritage collection at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

The society's underlying asset base is a 50,000-volume specialized geographic library, including maps, atlases, globes, photographs, manuscripts, and the Prince Roland Bonaparte library, deposited at the BnF's Department of Maps and Plans since 1942 under a convention renewed in 1996. A thematic index of 503 locations, 2,130 people, 1,682 subjects, and 232 organizations structures these holdings. It also operates the world's oldest current geography periodical, exchanged with 200+ foreign journals and received by 50+ institutions worldwide.

Revenue is generated through tiered annual memberships (€14 student to €770+ benefactor; lifetime €670–€720 for members over 65), journal subscriptions (€37–€42), tax-deductible donations (66% deductible), event fees, and publication sales. Governance is by a 24-member volunteer Board of Directors and an unpaid Bureau; only 7 paid employees are disclosed. Distribution is direct-to-member via the website and mail, with channel support from the BnF partnership and international bodies including the UGI, EUGEO, and the Festival International de Géographie.

Name

Société de Géographie

Legal name

Société de Géographie

Website

https://socgeo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1821

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Société de Géographie, founded in Paris in 1821, is the world's oldest geographic society. It serves professional geographers, researchers, and enthusiasts through the quarterly journal La Géographie, conferences, an awards program, study trips, and access to a 50,000-volume heritage archive deposited at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Learned Society / Geographic Membership Association

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (712110)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK), History, Heritage & Museum-Focused Study Tours (THAKAGAN)

Keywords

• Learned society
• Geographic research
• Membership association
• Academic publishing
• Cultural patronage

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees ranging from €30 (active member) to €130 (donor member), with lifetime membership at €670 for those over 65. The society is recognized as a public utility association, allowing members to receive tax deductions of 66% of their dues.
2. Journal Subscriptions: Subscription revenue from the quarterly journal 'La Géographie' (4 issues per year) and its supplements, priced at €37-42 annually depending on location.
3. Publication Sales: Sale of the society's publications including special issues, jubilee works, and periodic member directories. The journal is exchanged with 200 other geographic journals and received by over 50 institutions worldwide.
4. Event Revenue: Revenue from conferences, colloquia, concerts, and organized study trips and voyages for members. The society organizes approximately 18 conferences per year plus 5 lunch debates annually at the Senate restaurant.
5. Donations: The society accepts donations, which are tax-deductible for French taxpayers as it is recognized as a public utility association.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Société de Géographie is the world's oldest geographic society (founded 1821, Paris), operating as a non-profit learned society that promotes geography through its quarterly journal 'La Géographie' (since 1822), monthly public conferences, Senate debate luncheons, academic colloquia, commented study voyages, and an awards program (9 Grand Prix and 55 foundation prizes). The society maintains a historic archive of approximately 50,000 volumes, maps, atlases, and photographs deposited at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, and serves a global membership of geographers, explorers, students, and geography enthusiasts.

Product overview

Société de Géographie operates as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The society provides a comprehensive portfolio of geographical knowledge services centered around its flagship quarterly journal 'La Géographie' (published since 1822, now at issue 1601), supplemented by member bulletins, special publications, conferences (approximately 18 annually), Senate-held debate luncheons, award programs (9 Grand Prix and 55 foundation prizes), commented travel excursions, academic symposiums, and archival access to its historical collections deposited at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. All offerings serve the society's mission of promoting geography in all its forms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• La Géographie (Revue) Quarterly scholarly journal (4 issues per year plus 2 supplements) covering geographical topics, geopolitics, exploration, and spatial studies. Subscribed by individual members and more than 50 institutions, and exchanged with 200+ international geographic journals.
• Bulletin de liaison des membres Semi-annual bulletin for society members containing updates on activities and member news.
• Les Ouvrages de la Société
• Conférences (Public Conferences)
• Déjeuners-débats (Senate Debate Luncheons)
• Prix de la Société de Géographie (Awards Program) Awards program including 9 Grand Prix and 55 foundation prizes awarded annually for geographical publications, exploration achievements, and contributions to geography, each consisting of a medal and monetary prize.
• Voyages commentés (Study Trips)
• Colloques (Scientific Symposiums)
• Archives et Manuscrits (Archive Access via BnF) Member access to the society's heritage archives and manuscripts deposited at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, including photographic collections, globes, and maps, across all four BnF sites (François-Mitterrand, Richelieu, Arsenal, Opéra).
• Société de Géographie Membership Annual membership with tiered pricing from €14 (student) to €130 (donor) and €670-720 lifetime membership for members over 65, plus a €770-820 benefactor / corporate tier; includes the quarterly journal, conference access, BnF archive access, and participation in voyages and colloquia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 geographic journals exchanged worldwide and received by 50+ institutions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 1941Partnership established in 1941 for the deposit and management of the society's library, archives, and collections at the BnF's Department of Maps and Plans. The convention was updated and signed again on September 16, 1996. Members receive free access to consult the society's deposited documents at all four BnF sites (François-Mitterrand, Richelieu, Arsenal, Opéra).
• Union Géographique Internationale (UGI/IGU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1922The society contributed to the founding of the International Geographic Union in 1922. It participates in quadrennial UGI congresses.
• Comité National Français de Géographie (CNFG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1920The society played a founding role in creating the French National Committee of Geography in 1920.
• Fédération des Sociétés de Géographie d'Europe (EUGEO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe society is a member of EUGEO, which brings together approximately fifteen European geographic societies meeting annually in a European capital.
• Société des Explorateurs FrançaismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe society provides office space and meeting facilities in its headquarters for the Société des Explorateurs Français.
• Société de GéopolitiqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe society provides meeting space at its headquarters for the Société de Géopolitique.
• Festival International de Géographie (FIG)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe society participates in the annual International Geography Festival held in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges since 1990.
• Alliance françaisemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partnership - the society participated in founding the Alliance française in 1884.
• Comité International d'Histoire de la CartographieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for the advancement of cartographic history.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Society: A vastly larger U.S. organization with overlapping mission in exploration and geographic knowledge, but operating a much broader portfolio (media, education, grants, magazine) rather than a scholarly membership society. Comparable only at the mission level, not in scale or business model.

Direct peers

• Association de Géographes Français (AGF): The principal French national association of geographers, based in Paris. Operates the Bulletin de l'AGF and academic conferences on geography, closely overlapping with Société de Géographie's mission and audience in France.
• American Geographical Society: The oldest professional geographical organization in the United States (founded 1851), focused on scholarly publishing and geographic knowledge dissemination. Directly comparable as a national learned society with journals, fellowships, and expeditions.
• Royal Geographical Society: Founded in 1830, the RGS is the United Kingdom's counterpart learned society for geography and the world's largest such society. It is a direct functional peer, sharing activities including journals, expeditions, lectures, a learned library, and membership tiers.
• Royal Scottish Geographical Society: Founded in 1884, RSGS is a directly comparable learned geographic society operating journals (The Geographer), lectures, expeditions support, and a membership program. Highly aligned in structure and offerings.

Others

• Le Comité Français pour l'UNESCO / Alliance française: The Alliance française, of which Société de Géographie is a historical co-founder (1884), operates globally as a cultural and Francophone education network. They share heritage, French cultural mission, and global institutional standing but operate very different activities.
• Société des Explorateurs Français (SEF): A French society for exploration, physically housed at the Société de Géographie's headquarters. Adjacent organization sharing overlapping membership and a focus on awarding exploration achievements, but different scope.
• Comité National Français de Géographie (CNFG): The umbrella organization for French geographic research, co-founded in 1920 by the Société de Géographie. Acts as a coordinator/academic committee rather than a learned society, but is a close ecosystem partner.
• International Geographical Union (UGI/IGU): The global scientific union for geography, co-founded with Société de Géographie's help in 1922. Operates quadrennial congresses and is the apex body in the geographic discipline; adjacent via partnership rather than direct competition.

Emerging players

• Société de Géopolitique: A smaller French society also housed at 184 boulevard Saint-Germain, focused specifically on geopolitics. Geographic content overlap (politics, exploration, frontiers) makes it an emerging thematic peer rather than a full competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/soc_geo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCt8CCHJUCSBRGWChvusU_CQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/LaGeographie
• Instagraminstagram.com/societedegeographie
• TikToktiktok.com/@societedegeographie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9-g%C3%A9ographie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Société de Géographie