Institute of Geography, Russian Academy of Sciences is the oldest (founded in 1918) and the largest Russian research center in physical and economical geography. The main present-day research directions are: evolution of natural environment and surface natural resources; natural cryogenic systems; dynamics of the processes of cryosphere; geographical problems of land use and nature conservation; interaction between environment and society in terms of rising anthropogenic pressure; regional frameworks for sustainable development of environment and society; GIS technologies and mapping.