Final answer:
In the Public Land Survey System, a section is a land unit that is nominally one square mile or 640 acres in size.
Step-by-step explanation:
In land surveying under the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), a section is an area nominally one square mile, containing 640 acres. This system was used to divide land in the United States for settlement and sale. When determining the size of a section, it's important to remember that one section equates to 640 acres.
Thus, if one acre is equal to 43,560 square feet, then a section would be 43,560 square feet times 640 acres, or 27,878,400 square feet. However, since land measurements in the PLSS are typically given in square miles, we stick to the simplified value of one square mile per section.
Regarding the purchase sizes for homesteaders, it was common for them to acquire quarter sections, which are 160 acres in areas with ample rainfall. In drier climates where ranching is more common than farming, larger land parcels were often necessary to support the needs of the livestock and the viability of the agricultural operations.
This reflects the adaptability of settlers and their land use based on the environmental conditions of different regions.