In the Public Land Survey System, what are the dimensions and area of a section?

• A. 1 mile x 1 mile, 1 square mile
• B. 2 miles x 2 miles, 4 square miles
• C. 0.5 mile x 0.5 mile, 0.25 square miles
• D. 1.5 miles x 1.5 miles, 2.25 square miles

Answer: (A)

In the Public Land Survey System, a section is the basic unit and is a square mile on each side. That makes the area exactly one square mile, equivalent to 640 acres. So the dimensions are 1 mile by 1 mile. A 2 by 2 mile block would be four square miles, not a single section. A 0.5 by 0.5 mile area is 0.25 square miles and corresponds to a quarter-section (160 acres). A 1.5 by 1.5 mile area is 2.25 square miles, which isn’t a standard section. For context, a township is 6 miles by 6 miles and contains 36 sections.