"What is this small amount of goverment property defined in the constitution?? The properties exist in the name of "The People of the United States". The government "manages" it." Basically, the Federal government is only supposed to own the District of Columbia, and various military (and similar)installations. I don't recall the exact language and I'm too lazy to look it up this early on a weekend. I do know that there is ZIP in it about "national parks, national forests" and all the rest of the so-called "federal land". In my opinion, ALL of these lands should be the property of the states in which they are located, and should be turned over to them.
"Federal land" is turning into just another socialist boondoggle.
Federal land came about as each of the Colonial States ceded all their lands west of their borders. There is a very early map showing the proposed division of those remaining lands into future states as well as the rules for their division. Lands that were not "bought" or "retained" remained Federal lands within a state. In some cases, the Federal government couldn't "give them away".