Survey township
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In the American Public Land Survey System, a township refers to a unit of land, that is nominally six (U.S. Survey) miles (~9.7 km) on a side. Each 36 square mile (~93 km²) township is divided into 36 one-square mile (~2.6 km²) sections, that can be further subdivided for sale. The townships are referenced by a numbering system that locates the township in relation to a meridian (north-south) and base line (east-west).
Survey townships (sometimes referred to as Congressional townships) are distinct from civil townships. A survey township is used to establish boundaries for land ownership. A civil township is a form of local government. In states that use both forms, civil townships generally use the boundaries established by survey townships.