What is the horizontal division of a township referred to in rural land descriptions?

In the context of rural land descriptions, the horizontal division of a township is referred to as "sections." A township is a square parcel of land that typically measures six miles by six miles and is divided into 36 smaller equally-sized squares, each known as a section. Each section measures one mile by one mile, equating to 640 acres. This system is part of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) which is used to create a standardized method for identifying and describing land in the United States.

Understanding this structure is vital for anyone studying land surveys, as sections provide a standardized frame of reference for the legal descriptions of land, property boundaries, and real estate transactions. The other terms, such as quadrants, plats, and parcels, relate to land divisions and descriptions in different contexts but do not specifically refer to the horizontal divisions within a township as sections do.