Convert Cuerda (cuerda) to Township (township) instantly.
About these units
Cuerda (cuerda)
The cuerda is a traditional land unit used primarily in Puerto Rico, where it is legally defined as 3,930.395625 square meters—slightly smaller than a hectare and slightly larger than an acre. Cuerdas are widely used in real estate transactions, agriculture, and land management throughout the island. Farmland, forest preserves, and rural homesteads are typically measured in cuerdas rather than square meters or acreage. The cuerda's historical roots likely tie back to Spanish colonial surveying practices, but unlike many colonial units, the cuerda has been standardized, stabilized, and legally maintained well into the modern era. Its continued use reflects cultural identity as much as practicality; Puerto Ricans often conceptualize land parcels in cuerdas, making it a central part of the island's land-economy vocabulary.
Township (township)
A township, as used in the U.S. Public Land Survey System (PLSS), is an area equal to 36 square miles, arranged as a 6-mile × 6-mile square. It is a cornerstone unit of American land division, originating during the late 18th-century settlement of the American frontier. Townships standardized how land was surveyed and sold, allowing the federal government to systematically divide territory for settlement, homesteading, and revenue generation. They were subdivided into 36 sections, each one square mile in area. This grid-based system profoundly shaped American geography. Roads, property lines, agricultural fields, and county boundaries in much of the Midwest and West follow township geometry. Even today, PLSS townships remain legally relevant in land deeds, zoning regulations, and cadastral surveys.