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Survey township

Survey township is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Survey township rather than just read about it. In short: A survey township, sometimes called a Congressional township or just township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System and by Canada's Dominion Land Survey is a nominally-square area of land that is nominally six survey miles (about 9.66 km) on a side. Each 36-square-mile (about 93.2 km2) township is divided into 36 sections of one square mile (640 acres, roughly 2.6 km2) each.

Survey township — main illustration
Survey township — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Survey township belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Survey township to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Survey township from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A survey township, sometimes called a Congressional township or just township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System and by Canada's Dominion Land Survey is a nominally-square area of land that is nominally six survey miles (about 9.66 km) on a side. Each 36-square-mile (about 93.2 km2) township is divided into 36 sections of one square mile (640 acres, roughly 2.6 km2) each. The sections can be further subdivided for sale. The townships are referenced by a numbering system that locates the township in relation to a principal meridian (north-south) and a base line (east-west). For example, Township 2 North, Range 4 East is the 4th township east of the principal meridian and the 2nd township north of the base line.

History in the US Standardized township (exterior) lines were originally surveyed and platted by the United States General Land Office in 1787 as part of the Seven Ranges survey of the initial portion of the "Territory Northwest of the River Ohio." Later survey crews subdivided the townships into section (interior) lines. Virtually all lands covered by this system were sold according to those boundaries and are marked on the U.S. Geological Survey topographic maps. Prior to standardization, some of the Ohio Lands (the United States Military District, the Firelands and the Connecticut Western Reserve) were surveyed into townships of 5 miles (8.0 km) on each side. These are often known as Congressional Townships. Sections are divided into quarter-sections of 160 acres (65 ha) each and quarter-quarter sections of 40 acres (16 ha) each. In the Homestead Act of 1862, one quarter-section of land was the amount allocated to each settler. Stemming from that are the idiomatic expressions, "the lower 40", the 40 acres on a settler's land that is lowest in elevation, in the direction towards which water drains toward a stream, and the "back forty", the portion farthest from the settler's dwelling.

History in Canada In western Canada, the Dominion Land Survey begun in 1871 adopted a similar format for survey townships, which do not form administrative units. These townships also have an area of approximately 36 square miles (six miles by six miles). These townships include road allowances, so their nominal dimensions are a bit longer than six miles. In the first and second phases of the survey (Manitoba and parts of Saskatchewan), townships are nominally 489 chains (6.11 mi; 9.84 km) east-west and north-south. In the third phase of the survey (British Columbia, Alberta and most of Saskatchewan), townships are nominally 486 chains (6.08 mi; 9.78 km) east-west and 483 chains (6.04 mi; 9.72 km) north-south. The actual area of a given township differs from the nominal because of systematic effects (due to the design of the survey) and surveying errors.

Survey township vs. civil township Survey townships are distinct from civil townships. A survey township is used to establish boundaries for land ownership, while a civil township is a form of local government. In states with civil townships, the two types of townships often coincide. County lines, especially in western states, usually follow survey township lines, leading to the large number of rectangular counties in the Midwest, which are agglomerations of survey townships.

See also Township Township (United States) Charter township (Michigan) Paper township (Ohio)

References

Further reading The Public Land Survey System Study Guide: The foundational concepts and terminology of the Rectangular Survey System, Bureau of Land Management

Illustrations

Survey township: 1826 map of the Connecticut Western Reserve in northern Ohio showing both survey and civil townships. The survey townships are represented by the numbers (horizontal "town" and vertical "range" numbers), and the civil townships using the same boundaries are represented by the names.
1826 map of the Connecticut Western Reserve in northern Ohio showing both survey and civil townships. The survey townships are represented by the numbers (horizontal "town" and vertical "range" numbers), and the civil townships using the same boundaries are represented by the names.
Survey township: 1877 map of Warren County, Indiana. Of the civil townships shown on this map, only Pine Township in the north exactly matches a survey township with 36 sections.
1877 map of Warren County, Indiana. Of the civil townships shown on this map, only Pine Township in the north exactly matches a survey township with 36 sections.
Survey township: Survey township: A. Township Line, B. Principal Meridian, C. Range Line, D. Initial Point, E. Base Line, and F. Township, according to BLM
Survey township: A. Township Line, B. Principal Meridian, C. Range Line, D. Initial Point, E. Base Line, and F. Township, according to BLM

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Survey township

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Survey township claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Survey township before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Survey township ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Survey township

In research
Survey township appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Survey township in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Survey township is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Colonial settlements in North America, Customary units of measurement in the United States, History of agriculture, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Survey township outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Survey township in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Survey township means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Survey township out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Survey township in simple terms?

A survey township, sometimes called a Congressional township or just township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System and by Canada's Dominion Land Survey is a nominally-square area of land that is nominally six survey miles (about 9.66 km) on a side. Each 36-square-mile (about 93.2…

Why does Survey township matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Survey township?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Survey township.

Tags

  • Colonial settlements in North America
  • Customary units of measurement in the United States
  • History of agriculture
  • Human migration
  • Land tenure
  • Real property law in the United States
  • Real property law of Canada
  • Surveying
  • Surveying of the United States
  • Townships in the United States
  • Units of area

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