In government surveys, which features are commonly used to describe land?

• A. Townships, sections and quarter sections.
• B. Meridians and baselines only.
• C. A single parcel description based on natural landmarks.
• D. A circular, random boundary system.

Answer: (A)

Government surveys describe land using a rectangular grid called the Public Land Survey System. The standard units are townships and sections, with smaller parcels described as quarter sections. A township forms a six-by-six mile square, and it contains 36 one-square-mile sections. Each section can be subdivided further into quarters to specify smaller parcels. The grid is anchored by principal meridians and baselines, which provide the reference framework, but the actual parcel descriptions you’ll see on deeds are expressed in terms of township, section, and quarter section. Other approaches—using meridians and baselines alone, relying on natural landmarks, or using circular boundaries—do not provide the precise, standardized descriptions used in government surveys.