375 years of land survey

In 2008 it will be 375 years since the Swedish surveyor Olof Gangius was ordered to travel to Finland. The Exchequer’ s instructions to initiate a land survey in the eastern part of the realm – ”as soon as the land is clear of snow” – were issued in Stockholm on 19 June 1633.

This is generally regarded as the beginning of land survey in Finland.

A History of the 375 Years of Land Survey

The National Land Survey of Finland has published a history of land survey in Finland to celebrate the anniversary year. The author of the book is Mikko Huhtamies, PhD.

The book offers a comprehensive overview of the history of land survey, both chronologically and geographically. The author looks far across Finland’s current borders and reviews Finnish land survey activities in an international context.

Huhtamies introduces a new perspective and gives his subject a social significance by linking individual events in the development of land survey more closely with its historical background. The publication complements the earlier histories published in 1933 and 1983, introducing new interpretations of the execution of the 1757 land reform and its impacts.

The book was published by Edita in September 2008 and it is available in the District Survey Offices and bookshops.

The Measure of Land online exhibition

What is the measure of land? The Earth's circumference is 40 000 kilometres and its mass is 5.9737×10²⁴ kg. But how can we measure land without using such units of measurement? What is the meaning of land? Why is land important? What is the cultural measure of land?

Image bank

Are you looking for illustrations? The NLS image bank contains images shown on the Mapscroll.fi website.

Measure of Land

The Measure of Land is an online exhibition on the history of land survey which takes you on a journey through the multifaceted world of land survey. It illustrates the role land survey has played in Finnish society and strives to answer the question: what is the measure of land?

Visit the image bank on this page to view the images shown on the Mapscroll.fi website, including historical photos and maps.

World Heritage

The fascinating Struve Geodetic Arc – a tour de force in land surveying before the satellite era – is the sixth Finnish site accepted to the UNESCO World Heritage List. What makes the Struve Geodetic Arc particularly interesting as a World Heritage site is that it is not actually visible. The significance of the Arc lies in the effort put into its creation.

This page will tell you how the Struve Geodetic Arc came to be created. You can also follow its route, which nowadays runs through ten states. Six of the station points selected for protection are located in Finland.

Exercises for schools

What is land? Is it just the foundation on which everything else is built?

Tips for teachers

Tips for teaching and an invitation to contribute to the development of the material

Importance of Land

An esoteric science, or just dull fiddling with numbers? Land surveying may seem like an obscure branch of science, but it is actually very much present in our daily lives. We use land survey information and geographical data every day without paying much attention to the fact. The examples found on this page were designed as tools for teachers and to provide insightful learning experiences.

This page contains learning material designed to help you consider what land means for all of us. Teachers of various subjects can use the exercises to demonstrate the practical relevance of the topic at hand.

Karttakäärö