The International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, a non-governmental scientific organization dedicated to the promotion and coordination of physical, chemical and mathematical studies of the Earth and its environment in space, was established in July, 1919, during a meeting of the then International Council of Research (now the ICSU) in Brussels. Thirteen countries requested membership in the original Union, which consisted of the five "sections" of Geodesy, Magnetism and Terrestrial Electricity, Meteorology, Oceanography, and Seismology. In 1920, financially contributing member countries included Belgium, Canada, France, Greece, Japan, Monaco, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Italy and Mexico became members of the Union in 1921. In 2000, the Union included 76 member countries from six continents. The first General Assembly of the IUGG was held in May, 1922, in Rome. At the first General Assembly, the sections of Hydrology and Volcanology were added to the Union. In 1933 at the fourth General Assembly in Lisbon, the seven sections where officially designated to be semi-autonomous Associations, each with its own separate but related discipline or subject. The seven Associations of the IUGG are: the International Association of Geodesy (IAG), the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy (IAGA), the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS), the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences (IAMAS), the International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Ocean (IAPSO), the International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior (IASPEI), and the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI). Since 1963, General Assemblies have been held every four years. In addition, the IUGG sponsors Inter-Association Commissions, symposia and workshops, and interdisciplinary research programs in support of its dedication to the scientific study of the Earth and the applications of the knowledge gained by study to the needs of society. The Union is a member of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), a co-sponsor of the Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Analysis Services (FAGS), and cooperates with UNESCO in the study of natural catastrophes. The IUGG is administered by a Bureau that consists of the Union's President, Vice-President, Secretary General, Treasurer, and four elected members. The Executive Committee, including the Bureau, the retiring President of the Union, and the Presidents of each Association, is responsible for overseeing the Union's scientific programs. The Union published the IUGG Chronicle from 1952-1995. The official languages of the Union are French and English.