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:
“Those of us who are in this world to educateto care foryoung children have a special calling: a calling that has very little to do with the collection of expensive possessions but has a lot to do with the worth inside of heads and hearts. In fact, thats our domain: the heads and hearts of the next generation, the thoughts and feelings of the future.”
—Fred M. Rogers, U.S. writer and host of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. That Which is Essential Is Invisible to the Eye, Young Children (July 1994)
“The veto is a Presidents Constitutional right, given to him by the drafters of the Constitution because they wanted it as a check against irresponsible Congressional action. The veto forces Congress to take another look at legislation that has been passed. I think this is a responsible tool for a president of the United States, and I have sought to use it responsibly.”
—Gerald R. Ford (b. 1913)
“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)