This article presents an overview of land use mapping work carried out in Poland. The authors discuss major early 20th-century publications and then review projects undertaken since WWII, pointing out the use of satellite imagery as a new source of data for land use mapping. They also discuss contemporary land use mapping programs pursued by international organizations in Europe, including in Poland. The outcome of work performed in Poland under the COR1NE Land Cover program is presented, and also the Land Cover Classification System developed by the FAO for the purposes of land use mapping is discusse