What is the rectangular land survey system used in the United States, dividing land into townships and ranges?

• A. Township and Range System
• B. Long-Lot Survey System
• C. Metes and Bounds
• D. Clustered Settlement

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is how land is organized across large areas in the United States. The rectangular land survey system, part of the Public Land Survey System, uses a grid of townships and ranges defined by principal meridians and baselines. It creates six-mile-square townships, each subdivided into 36 one-square-mile sections. A parcel’s location is described by its township (how far north or south from the baseline) and its range (how far east or west from the principal meridian). This framework is exactly what divides land into townships and ranges and is why land descriptions in many states use those terms. By contrast, the long-lot system describes long, narrow parcels along waterways; Metes and Bounds describes irregular parcels based on natural features; and clustered Settlement refers to settlement patterns rather than a surveying method.