Definition of government rectangular survey

rectangular system of land survey that divides a district into 24-square-mile quadrangles from the meridian (north-south line) and the base line (east-west line). The tracts are divided into townships, each 6 square miles and containing 36 square miles, which are in turn divided into 36 tracts, each 1 mile square, called sections. The system is used in most western states.