175th Anniversary of the Russian Geographical Society

Obverse

the mirror field of the disc bears a relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation, over it along the rim there is the semicircular inscription "РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ" (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) framed on both sides by doubled rhombuses, below under the coat of arms there are indications of the precious metal and its fineness on the left and the fine metal content and the mint trade mark on the right, at the bottom in the centre, in three lines, there is an inscription "БАНК РОССИИ" (BANK OF RUSSIA), the denomination of the coin "1 РУБЛЬ" (1 RUBLE), and the year of issue "2020 г." (2020).

Reverse

the mirror field of the disc features a relief image of the emblem of the Russian Geographical Society against a stylised image of the net of the parallels and meridians of the Earth, and the inscription ‘175 ЛЕТ РУССКОМУ ГЕОГРАФИЧЕСКОМУ ОБЩЕСТВУ’ (THE 175th ANNIVERSARY OF THE RUSSIAN GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY) along the rim.

Authors

Designers: E.V. Kramskaya (obverse), A.D. Schablykin (reverse).
Sculptors: A.A. Dolgopolova (obverse), A.D. Schablykin (reverse).
Mint: Saint Petersburg Mint (СПМД).
Edge: 200 corrugations.

Discover more

The Russian Geographical Society (RGS) was founded in 1845 by the decree of Emperor Nikolay I. In various periods of time, the Society was led by representatives of the Russian imperial family, scientists, and statespersons. In 2009, Sergey Shoygu was elected the President of the RGS. The Board of Trustees of the Society is headed by President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

The RGS has made a significant contribution to the studies of European Russia, the Urals, Siberia, the Far East, Middle and Central Asia, the Caucasus, Iran, India, New Guinea, the Arctic countries, and other territories. The Society laid the foundations of nature reserve management in Russia.

It is one of the oldest geographical societies in the world. The RGS unites geographers and specialists of related sciences, as well as travel enthusiasts, ecologists, and public figures who are eager to learn new things about Russia and ready to help preserve the country’s natural resources.

Over recent years, the Society implemented a range of large-scale projects, which include the photo contest ‘The Most Beautiful Country’, the Geographical Dictation (international project), the archaeological and geographical expedition Kyzyl–Kuragino, the complex expedition Gogland, the expedition under the Arctic Cleanup Programme, and many others. The RGS takes extensive efforts to study and protect rare animals and birds, including Amur tigers, toothed whales – belugas, and white bears. The Society issues over 200 scientific publications every year and provides grants and information support for the production of films about Russia’s cultural and natural heritage.

Today, the RGS numbers over 22,000 members in Russia and abroad. The Society has its regional branches in all 85 constituent territories of the Russian Federation. The honourable members of the Society include statesmen, scientists, and public figures. Among them are Pyotr Semyonov-Tyan-Shansky, Sergey Witte, Nikolay Vavilov, Vladimir Vernadsky, Ferdinand von Wrangel, Alexander Gorchakov, Vladimir Dal, Vladimir Obruchev, King Leopold II of Belgium, Turkish Sultan Abdul Hamid, King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Norway Oscar II, Shah of Persia Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, Baron Ferdinand von Richthofen, Roald Amundsen, Fridtjof Nansen, and Thor Heyerdahl.

Source: https://www.rgo.ru