How many miles long and how many miles wide is a section?

How many miles long and how many miles wide is a section?

• A. 1 mile by 1 mile
• B. 2 miles by 2 miles
• C. 1 mile by 2 miles
• D. 0.5 mile by 0.5 mile

Answer: (A)

In the Public Land Survey System, a section is a square that is one mile on each side. A township is six miles by six miles and is subdivided into 36 sections, each 1 mile square. So a section measures 1 mile long and 1 mile wide (covering 640 acres). The other options would describe larger or smaller units than a section: 2 miles by 2 miles would be four square miles, 1 mile by 2 miles would be two square miles, and 0.5 mile by 0.5 mile would be a quarter of a square mile.

In the Public Land Survey System, a section is a square that is one mile on each side. A township is six miles by six miles and is subdivided into 36 sections, each 1 mile square. So a section measures 1 mile long and 1 mile wide (covering 640 acres). The other options would describe larger or smaller units than a section: 2 miles by 2 miles would be four square miles, 1 mile by 2 miles would be two square miles, and 0.5 mile by 0.5 mile would be a quarter of a square mile.