The unit of survey of the U.S. Public Land Survey system, representing a piece of land that is bounded on the east and west by meridians approx. 6 miles (9.6 km) apart (exactly 6 miles at its south border) and on the north and south by parallels 6 miles apart, and that is normally subdivided into 36 sections. Townships are located with reference to the initial point of a principal meridian and base line, and are normally numbered consecutively north and south from a base line (e.g., township 14 north indicates a township in the 14th tier north of a base line). The term township is used in conjunction with the appropriate range to indicate the coordinates of a particular township in reference to the initial point (e.g., township 3 south, range 4 west indicates the particular township that is the 3rd township south of the base line and the 4th township west of the principal meridian controlling the surveys in that area). Abbrev. (when citing specific location): T.