The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations dealing with weather and climate. In which year was the World Meteorological Organization formally established?

Introduction / Context:
The World Meteorological Organization, usually abbreviated as WMO, is a specialised agency of the United Nations that coordinates international efforts related to weather, climate and water resources. Knowing the year in which WMO was established is a standard requirement in general knowledge exams that cover world organisations. This question checks whether the learner can recall the specific year when WMO came into existence as an intergovernmental organisation.

Given Data / Assumptions:

The organisation is the World Meteorological Organization, WMO.
We are asked to identify the year of its formal establishment.
The options are 1950, 1952, 1956 and 1949.
We assume the question refers to the official date when WMO was created as a UN specialised agency, not the earlier non governmental International Meteorological Organization.

Concept / Approach:
Before WMO existed, there was an International Meteorological Organization, which was a non governmental body. After the Second World War, the need was felt for a formal intergovernmental organisation to coordinate weather and climate services globally. As a result, WMO was established in 1950 as the successor to the earlier body. Therefore, the year 1950 is the key date tested in examinations related to world organisations and climate related institutions.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that WMO is a post Second World War institution, created within the framework of the United Nations. Step 2: The transformation from the earlier International Meteorological Organization into WMO took place around 1950. Step 3: Among the options provided, 1950 is the year that matches the formal establishment of WMO as a specialised UN agency. Step 4: The years 1949, 1952 and 1956 may relate to preliminary discussions or later milestones, but they are not usually quoted as the establishment year. Step 5: Therefore, choose 1950 as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify this, students can refer to standard tables of United Nations specialised agencies, which usually include the name, headquarters and year of establishment. In such tables, WMO is consistently listed with the year 1950. Cross checking this with chapters on world organisations in exam guides confirms that 1950 is the widely accepted and tested date for the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1952: This year is slightly later than the actual establishment and may be related to other internal developments, but it is not the recognised founding year.
1956: This is even further away from the correct date and is provided only as a distractor option.
1949: Although close in time, this year does not correspond to the official establishment of WMO as a UN specialised agency and is therefore incorrect.

Common Pitfalls:
A common error is to confuse the year of establishment of WMO with other environmental and development agencies created in the post war period. Another pitfall is to pick the earliest or latest year assuming older is better, without recalling the specific link between WMO and the shift from a non governmental body to a United Nations specialised agency. Keeping a concise list of major UN agencies along with their founding years and headquarters is a simple way to avoid such mistakes during examinations.

Final Answer:
The World Meteorological Organization was formally established in the year 1950.