Congress


A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter during battle, from the Latin congressus.

Political congresses

International relations

The following congresses were formal meetings of representatives of different nations:

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In the mid-1770s, the British colonies that became the United States of America adopted for their joint convention the word "Congress" - to emphasize each colony's status as a state in its own right. The term has been adopted by many countries to refer to their legislatures.
Many political parties have a party congress every few years to make decisions for the party and elect governing bodies, while others call it a party convention. Congress is included in the name of several political parties, especially those in former British colonies:
  • India
  • *Indian National Congress
  • *All India Trinamool Congress
  • *Kerala Congress
  • *Nationalist Congress Party
  • *Tamil Maanila Congress
  • *YSR Congress
  • *Janta Congress Chhattisgarh
  • *All India N.R. Congress
  • Canary Islands
  • *National Congress of the Canaries
  • Eswatini
  • *Ngwane National Liberatory Congress
  • Fiji
  • *National Congress of Fiji
  • Guyana
  • *People's National Congress
  • Lesotho
  • *Basotho Congress Party
  • *Lesotho Congress for Democracy
  • *Lesotho People's Congress
  • Malawi
  • *Malawi Congress Party
  • Malaysia
  • *Malaysian Indian Congress
  • Namibia
  • *Congress of Democrats
  • Nepal
  • *Nepali Congress
  • Pakistan
  • *Peoples Revolutionary Congress Pakistan
  • *Pakistan Christian Congress
  • Sierra Leone
  • *All People's Congress
  • South Africa
  • *African National Congress
  • *Congress of the People
  • *Pan-Africanist Congress
  • Sri Lanka
  • *All Ceylon Tamil Congress
  • *Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
  • Sudan
  • *National Congress
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • *United National Congress
  • Uganda
  • *Ugandan People's Congress
  • Iraqi National Congress

    Political organizations

  • National Congress of American Indians
  • Congress of Racial Equality
  • Continental Congress 2.0

    Labor congresses

  • Congress of Industrial Organizations
  • Trade Union Congress of the Philippines
  • Trades Union Congress
  • Canadian Labour Congress

    Religious Congresses

  • Catholic Congresses
  • Eucharistic Congresses
  • 1947 Marian Congress
  • Subud Congress

    Non-political congresses

Congress is an alternative name for a large national or international academic conference. For instance, the World Congress on Men's Health is an annual meeting on men's medical issues.
Organizations in some athletic sports, such as bowling, have historically been named "congresses". The predecessors to the United States Bowling Congress were the American Bowling Congress and the Women's International Bowling Congress.Image:Chess congress, Ormskirk.jpg|thumb|Chess congress
A chess congress is a chess tournament, in one city, where a large number of contestants gather to play competitive chess over a limited period of time; typically one day to one week, or more.
ICCA Congress & Exhibition