The Royal Geographical Society (RGS) was established in 1830 in London and received a royal charter from Queen Victoria in 1859. The aim was to explore "undiscovered" lands for scientific investigation and to share the findings of the exploration with other geographers. The society was established with the aim of advancing geography as a subject and science, it is considered essential in shaping the past and future of geography. The society was also highly influential in establishing geography as an academic subject in its own right when Oxford ratified a geography readership in 1887 (Bonnett, 2008). This essay will discuss the influence of the Royal Geographical Society (together with the Institute of British Geographers) on the history of geography and how this has in turn formed and shaped the geography of today . Over time, geography was seen as an evolving subject, before the Royal Geographical Society was established and many dining clubs were established to spark the start of such a society. The members of the African association created in 1788 were made up of men sharing the same political and liberal opinions. The members had a particular interest in Africa, their sole aim was to carry out scientific research and exploration in little-known lands. Another dining club formed in 1827 called the Raleigh Club, a group of "hardy and experienced explorers", each member would represent countries or countries of their exploration and together could embody the entire world. A member of the Raleigh Club, John Barrow founded the Royal Geographical Society in 1830 with the aspiration of collecting and publishing new geographical information, with the aim of creating benefits for humanity. Roderick Murchison who later became president...... middle of paper ...... Changing the world: 175 years of exploration and photography. London: Bloomsbury.Driver, F. 2013. Hidden histories made visible? Reflections on a geographical exhibition. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 38: 420-435. Gilbert, D. 2009. Time to spend? Reflections on the RGS and corporate philanthropy. Acme: An International Electronic Journal for Critical Geographies, 8: 521-529 Said, E. 1978. Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books. Stoddart, D. 1980. The RGS and the “new geography”: changing goals and roles in 19th-century science. The Geographical Journal, 146: 190-202. Taylor, PJ, Everton, M. 1991. Further thoughts on geography and GIS. Environment and Planning A, 23: 1087-1094.Valentine, G., Aitken, S. 2006. Contested geographies: culture wars, personal clashes and participation in debates. Approaches to human geography. London: Sage.