International Hydrographic Organisation

About International Hydrographic Organisation:

• It is an intergovernmental organization that works to ensure all the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted.
• It was established in 1921, it coordinates the activities of national hydrographic offices and promotes uniformity in nautical charts and documents.
• It issues survey best practices, provides guidelines to maximize the use of hydrographic survey data and develops hydrographic capabilities in Member States.
• Member countries: It has currently 100 Member States.
• The IHO Secretariat has been hosted by the Principality of Monaco.
• India has been an active member of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) since 1955.
  • The Indian Naval Hydrographic Department (INHD), or the Marine Survey of India earlier, was established in 1874 in Kolkata.
  • It is the nodal agency for hydrographic surveys and has a fleet of indigenously built modern survey ships. 

World Hydrography Day

• It is celebrated annually on June 21.
• The theme for 2024 is "Hydrographic Information - Enhancing Safety, Efficiency and Sustainability in Marine Activities"