21st June: World Hydrography Day

Hydrography plays one of the most important roles in today’s world by describing the physical feature of the navigable portion of the water covered area on the Earth’s surface through maps and nautical charts. Without a hydrographic survey, navigation for ships or fishing boats would have been much difficult.

The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) was founded on 21 June 1921. To highlight the importance of hydrography, on 29^th November 2005, the resolution ‘A/60/30 Oceans and the Law of the Sea’. was adopted at the United Nations General Assembly under which   21^st June was recognized as World Hydrography Day from 2006 onwards.

As of October 2019, IHO has a total of 93 member states. The day marks an opportunity for the governments of the member states to reaffirm their commitment towards promoting safe navigation across the water bodies on the earth by increasing the coverage of hydrographic information on a global basis.

The theme of 2020 World Hydrography Day: Hydrography- Enabling Autonomous Technologies

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2020