Every second Sunday of March, geodesists and cartographers of Russia celebrate their professional holiday. The holiday was established by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation on November 11, 2002.

The art of geographic maps drawing was known in Russia before Peter the Great. Thus, for example, in 1667, a map of Siberia was compiled by order of the province governor (in Russian: voevoda) P.I. Godunov. Its copy was preserved in the Stockholm State Archive. The very profession of map-compiler (cartographer) emerged later - in March 1720, when the first cartographic surveys were initiated by the order of Peter the Great.

Under Nicholay I the Pulkovo Observatory was constructed and geodesy and cartographyprogerssed significantly. It was the time when large-scale scientific grade meridian measurements from Lapland up to the Danube debouchment was implemented in Russia under the auspices of Struve. Moreover, the western provinces topographic map of was compiled in 1846 as well. Sheets of this map were sold in the time of Alexander II. The map of Russia European part was issued at the same time, as well as a number of maps on Russia Asian part (maps of the Caucasus and Central Asia). Private cartographic copmanies were establised at the same period.

United Geodesic Authority of Russian Soviet Socialist Republic was established in 1919. Since 1992 it had been renamed as "Federal of Geodesic and Cartographic Authority of Russia".

More details on the cartography trends development in Russia are in the introductory article to the "Maps" subsection and in the article "The history of cartography in Russia" in the section "Thematic reviews".

The engraved and lithographed maps of the Caucasus territory, dating back to the end of the 18^th – beginning of the 20^th centuries, reflecting the history of the region's integration into Russia, are presented in the collection subsection “Maps”.

Biographies of the well-known maps plotters (cartographers), designers of the maps that are stored in the Museum Collection, such as Alexander Wilbrecht, Johann Homann and Joachim Ottens are in the section “Authors”.