Convert Section (section) to Square Mile (US Survey) (mi² (US)) instantly.
About these units
Section (section)
A section is a unit of area equal to one square mile, or 640 acres, derived from the PLSS township system. Each township contains 36 sections arranged in a 6-by-6 grid. Sections were historically granted to settlers, railroads, and states for development, education funding, and agricultural expansion. Because a section is large but manageable, it provided a logical unit for dividing land among homesteaders. Even today, the section persists as a foundation of rural property boundaries. Many farms, ranches, and municipal boundaries reference section lines, reflecting how 19th-century surveying still shapes 21st-century land use.
Square Mile (US Survey) (mi² (US))
The US survey square mile is extremely close to the international square mile but is defined using the US survey foot, a slightly different value than the international foot historically used in land surveying. This unit appears in American land deeds, cadastral maps, and federal land management documents. The Public Land Survey System (PLSS), which divided much of the western United States into townships and sections, relied heavily on survey-based square miles. Although the modern US has transitioned to the international foot (as of 2023), historical land descriptions remain legally tied to the survey-based definition, ensuring its continued relevance.