Cadastral surveying involves determining land boundaries and defining ownership through surveys. It provides legally defined boundaries and documents ownership. There are several types of cadastres including fiscal for taxation, legal for ownership rights, and multi-purpose for combined legal, fiscal and other land information. Cadastres have significance for facilitating land transactions, providing security of ownership, and supporting planning, taxation and dispute resolution. Ethiopia has undertaken several cadastral projects since the early 1900s to modernize its land administration system.