Appendix to the INT. 
PHOTOGR AMMETRY, 
eu 
MAPPING THE ISLAND OF NEWFOUNDLAND* 
by 
S.G. Gamble** 
Newfoundland entered into the federation of Canadian 
provinces on the 31st of March, 1949, adding an area of 155,364 
square miles to Canada. This new and most easterly province, 
once the oldest colony in the British Empire, consists of the 
Island of Newfoundland, on which most of the 412, 000 people live, 
and the sparsely populated Coast of Labrador. Following the 
union it was decided that one of the first undertakings of the 
Federal Government would be to map the Island of Newfoundland. 
The map scale selected as most suitable for purposes of inven- 
tories studies and development planning was 1:50, 000 with a 
contour interval of 50 feet. 
The Island of Newfoundland is triangular in shape, with 
sides approximately 320 miles long and an area of 42, 734 square 
miles, separated on the north from the Coast of Labrador by the 
Strait of Belle Isle and on the south from the province of Nova 
Scotia by Cabot Strait. It is a plateau of low rolling relief with 
hills near the west coast rising to over 2,500 feet. The climate 
is temperate and the rainfall evenly distributed. Much of the 
surface is barren and rocky with numerous swamps and ponds 
but the river valleys and west coast are well forested and support 
an extensive wood-pulp industry. Many of the towns and villages 
are located on fine harbours which provide safe anchorage for 
the fishing fleets operating along the coast and off the Grand 
Banks. Iron-mining operations are conducted on Bell Island 
  
* Presented to Commission IV of the International Society for 
Photogrammetry, Stockholm, July 1956, by permission of 
the Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Mines and 
Technical Surveys, Ottawa, Canada. 
** Chief Topographical Engineer, Department of Mines and 
Technical Surveys, Ottawa, Canada. 
Pam. 4 
ARCHIVES OF 
MAK OF 
Vol. Xil 1956 
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