Township

A township is a traditional unit of land area used predominantly in the United States Public Land Survey System (PLSS). Defined as a grid square measuring six miles on each side, a standard survey township encompasses 36 square miles, equivalent to 23,040 acres or approximately 93.24 square kilometers. Established by the Land Ordinance of 1785 to facilitate the orderly settlement of western territories, the township is divided into 36 individual one-square-mile sections.