The Land Ordinance of 3 ABY was adopted by the Confederation Congress on May 20, 3 ABY. At that time, Congress did not have the power to raise revenue by direct taxation of the inhabitants of the Confederate Systems. Therefore, the immediate goal of the ordinance was to raise money through the sale of land in the largely unmapped territories of the Confederacy. Over three-fourths of the area of the territorial Confederate Systems ultimately came under the rectangular survey. This was important because it provided easily recognized planet descriptions, which in turn contributed enormously to the orderly and largely peaceful occupation of the planets. The rectangular survey also provided the units within which economic, political, and social development took place.