Final answer:
A township, in the context of the U.S. Public Land Survey System, measures 36 square miles. It's composed of 36 one-square-mile sections, each section being 640 acres. This grid system was introduced by Thomas Jefferson to replace the less orderly metes and bounds system.
Step-by-step explanation:
Township lines intersect with range lines to create townships in the United States Public Land Survey System. Each township is a square that measures six miles on each side. This means that each township covers an area of 36 square miles, as it is six miles wide and six miles long. The townships are further subdivided into sections of one square mile each, and each section is 640 acres.
The rectangular survey system was developed to facilitate the sale of public lands in the United States and still impacts land ownership patterns today. Thomas Jefferson introduced the system to address problems associated with the metes and bounds survey system, which led to irregular and unclear land divisions. As a result, much of the land in the western states, when viewed from an airplane, appears as a neat, orderly grid.