What Is This Tool?
This tool converts area values from square miles, a common imperial measurement, to townships, a traditional U.S. land survey unit used for legal and cadastral purposes.
How to Use This Tool?
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Enter the area value in square miles that you want to convert.
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Select square mile as the source unit and township as the target unit.
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Click convert to see the equivalent area in townships.
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Use the displayed conversion to relate your measurement to PLSS legal land descriptions.
Key Features
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Converts area from square miles to townships following the U.S. Public Land Survey System.
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Includes a straightforward multiplication formula based on the fixed conversion rate.
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Supports interpretation of land parcels for property law, surveying, and land management.
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Browser-based and easy to use for surveying professionals and land administrators.
Examples
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10 square miles equals 0.277777778 townships.
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50 square miles converts to approximately 1.38888889 townships.
Common Use Cases
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Describing large land areas such as cities or agricultural tracts using square miles.
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Converting to township units for legal land descriptions and property deeds in the U.S.
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Facilitating cadastral mapping and rural land administration.
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Supporting resource inventories and land use planning.
Tips & Best Practices
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Ensure you understand the context of the U.S. Public Land Survey System when interpreting township measurements.
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Use this conversion tool as a guide but verify with official land records for legal precision.
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Remember that township units apply primarily within U.S. land surveying boundaries.
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Cross-check large conversions with cadastral maps for accuracy in property boundaries.
Limitations
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Township units are specific to the U.S. Public Land Survey System and may not be recognized internationally.
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Simple area conversions do not replace exact legal survey boundaries required for land titles.
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Precision depends on proper application of PLSS boundaries rather than only numerical conversions.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is a square mile used for?
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A square mile is used to measure large land areas such as cities and agricultural properties, as well as for reporting population density.
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What does a township represent?
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A township in the U.S. Public Land Survey System is a 6-mile by 6-mile square used for cadastral mapping and legal land descriptions.
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Can I use this conversion outside the United States?
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The township unit is specific to the U.S. Public Land Survey System and might not be applicable or recognized outside the U.S.
Key Terminology
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Square Mile [mi^2]
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An imperial and U.S. customary unit of area equal to the area of a square with sides one international mile long.
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Township
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A cadastral unit in the U.S. Public Land Survey System equal to a 6-mile by 6-mile square, used to legally describe land.
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Public Land Survey System (PLSS)
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A method used in many U.S. states to subdivide and describe land parcels for legal and administrative purposes.