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:
“While the focus in the landscape of Old World cities was commonly government structures, churches, or the residences of rulers, the landscape and the skyline of American cities have boasted their hotels, department stores, office buildings, apartments, and skyscrapers. In this grandeur, Americans have expressed their Booster Pride, their hopes for visitors and new settlers, and customers, for thriving commerce and industry.”
—Daniel J. Boorstin (b. 1914)
“What Congress and the popular sentiment approve is rarely defeated by reason of constitutional objections. I trust the measure will turn out well. It is a great relief to me. Defeat in this way, after a full and public hearing before this [Electoral] Commission, is not mortifying in any degree, and success will be in all respects more satisfactory.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (18221893)
“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)