The World Congress of Esperanto (in Esperanto: Universala Kongreso de Esperanto, acronym UK) has the longest tradition among international Esperanto conventions, with an almost unbroken run of more than a hundred years. The congresses have been held since 1905 every year, except during World Wars I and II. Universal Esperanto Association has been organizing these congresses since the 1920s.
These congresses take place every year and gather on average about 2000 participants (since World War II it has varied from 800 to 6000 depending on the venue). The average number of countries represented is about 60. Some specialized organizations also gather a few hundred participants in their annual meetings. The World Congress usually takes place in the last week of July or first week of August, beginning and ending on a Saturday (8 days in total).
Until 1980, meetings were held in Europe and the United States, with the exception of Japan in 1965. Since then, other countries have been Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, S. Korea, Australia, Israel and Vietnam.
Number | Year | City | Country | Number of participants |
---|---|---|---|---|
99 | 2014 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | |
98 | 2013 | Reykjavík | Iceland | |
97 | 2012 | Hanoi | Vietnam | |
96 | 2011 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 1458 |
95 | 2010 | Havana | Cuba | 1002 |
94 | 2009 | Białystok | Poland | 1860 |
93 | 2008 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 1845 |
92 | 2007 | Yokohama | Japan | 1901 |
91 | 2006 | Florence | Italy | 2209 |
90 | 2005 | Vilnius | Lithuania | 2235 |
89 | 2004 | Beijing | China | 2031 |
88 | 2003 | Gothenburg | Sweden | 1791 |
87 | 2002 | Fortaleza | Brazil | 1484 |
86 | 2001 | Zagreb | Croatia | 1691 |
85 | 2000 | Tel Aviv | Israel | 1212 |
84 | 1999 | Berlin | Germany | 2712 |
83 | 1998 | Montpellier | France | 3133 |
82 | 1997 | Adelaide | Australia | 1224 |
81 | 1996 | Prague | Czech Republic | 2972 |
80 | 1995 | Tampere | Finland | 2443 |
79 | 1994 | Seoul | Republic of Korea | 1776 |
78 | 1993 | Valencia | Spain | 1863 |
77 | 1992 | Vienna | Austria | 3033 |
76 | 1991 | Bergen | Norway | 2400 |
75 | 1990 | Havana | Cuba | 1617 |
74 | 1989 | Brighton | United Kingdom | 2280 |
73 | 1988 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 2321 |
72 | 1987 | Warsaw | Poland | 5946 |
71 | 1986 | Beijing | China | 2482 |
70 | 1985 | Augsburg | Germany | 2311 |
69 | 1984 | Vancouver | Canada | 802 |
68 | 1983 | Budapest | Hungary | 4834 |
67 | 1982 | Antwerp | Belgium | 1899 |
66 | 1981 | Brasília | Brazil | 1749 |
65 | 1980 | Stockholm | Sweden | 1807 |
64 | 1979 | Lucerne | Switzerland | 1630 |
63 | 1978 | Varna | Bulgaria | 4414 |
62 | 1977 | Reykjavík | Iceland | 1199 |
61 | 1976 | Athens | Greece | 1266 |
60 | 1975 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 1227 |
59 | 1974 | Hamburg | Germany | 1651 |
58 | 1973 | Belgrade | Yugoslavia | 1638 |
57 | 1972 | Portland | U.S. | 923 |
56 | 1971 | London | United Kingdom | 2071 |
55 | 1970 | Vienna | Austria | 1987 |
54 | 1969 | Helsinki | Finland | 1857 |
53 | 1968 | Madrid | Spain | 1769 |
52 | 1967 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | 1265 |
51 | 1966 | Budapest | Hungary | 3975 |
50 | 1965 | Tokyo | Japan | 1710 |
49 | 1964 | The Hague | Netherlands | 2512 |
48 | 1963 | Sofia | Bulgaria | 3472 |
47 | 1962 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 1550 |
46 | 1961 | Harrogate | United Kingdom | 1646 |
45 | 1960 | Brussels | Belgium | 1930 |
44 | 1959 | Warsaw | Poland | 3256 |
43 | 1958 | Mainz | Germany | 2021 |
42 | 1957 | Marseille | France | 1468 |
41 | 1956 | Copenhagen | Denmark | 2200 |
40 | 1955 | Bologna | Italy | 1687 |
39 | 1954 | Haarlem | Netherlands | 2353 |
38 | 1953 | Zagreb | Yugoslavia | 1760 |
37 | 1952 | Oslo | Norway | 1614 |
36 | 1951 | Munich | Germany | 2040 |
35 | 1950 | Paris | France | 2325 |
34 | 1949 | Bournemouth | United Kingdom | 1534 |
33 | 1948 | Malmö | Sweden | 1761 |
32 | 1947 | Bern | Switzerland | 1370 |
World War II | ||||
31 | 1939 | Bern | Switzerland | 765 |
30 | 1938 | London | United Kingdom | 1602 |
29 | 1937 | Warsaw | Poland | 1120 |
28 | 1936 | Vienna | Austria | 854 |
27 | 1935 | Rome | Italy | 1442 |
26 | 1934 | Stockholm | Sweden | 2042 |
25 | 1933 | Cologne | Germany | 950 |
24 | 1932 | Paris | France | 1650 |
23 | 1931 | Kraków | Poland | 900 |
22 | 1930 | Oxford | United Kingdom | 1211 |
21 | 1929 | Budapest | Hungary | 1200 |
20 | 1928 | Antwerp | Belgium | 1494 |
19 | 1927 | Danzig | Free City of Danzig | 905 |
18 | 1926 | Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 960 |
17 | 1925 | Geneva | Switzerland | 953 |
16 | 1924 | Vienna | Austria | 3400 |
15 | 1923 | Nuremberg | Germany | 4963 |
14 | 1922 | Helsinki | Finland | 850 |
13 | 1921 | Prague | Czechoslovakia | 2561 |
12 | 1920 | The Hague | Netherlands | 408 |
World War I | ||||
11 | 1915 | San Francisco | U.S. | 163 |
10 | 1914 | Paris | France | canceled due to World War I |
9 | 1913 | Bern | Switzerland | 1203 |
8 | 1912 | Kraków | Poland | 1000 |
7 | 1911 | Antwerp | Belgium | 1800 |
6 | 1910 | Washington, D.C. | U.S. | 357 |
5 | 1909 | Barcelona | Spain | 1500 |
4 | 1908 | Dresden | Germany | 1500 |
3 | 1907 | Cambridge | United Kingdom | 1317 |
2 | 1906 | Geneva | Switzerland | 1200 |
1 | 1905 | Boulogne-sur-Mer | France | 688 |
Famous quotes containing the words world, congress and/or esperanto:
“The new vulcanism is really a daring attempt to connect the present, incomprehensible world to a past, unknown one.”
—Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (17491832)
“I need not tell you of the inadequacy of the American shipping marine on the Pacific Coast.... For this reason it seems to me that there is no subject to which Congress can better devote its attention in the coming session than the passage of a bill which shall encourage our merchant marine in such a way as to establish American lines directly between New York and the eastern ports and South American ports, and both our Pacific Coast ports and the Orient and the Philippines.”
—William Howard Taft (18571930)
“The new sound-sphere is global. It ripples at great speed across languages, ideologies, frontiers and races.... The economics of this musical esperanto is staggering. Rock and pop breed concentric worlds of fashion, setting and life-style. Popular music has brought with it sociologies of private and public manner, of group solidarity. The politics of Eden come loud.”
—George Steiner (b. 1929)