The Government Survey System, also known as the Rectangular Survey System, creates a grid to describe land. It starts with principal meridians (north-south lines) and base lines (east-west lines). Parallel to the meridian are north-south range lines every six miles, creating columns called ranges. Parallel to the base line are east-west township lines every six miles, creating rows called tiers. The intersection of a range and a tier forms a six-mile by six-mile square, which is called a township. This 36-square-mile area is the basic unit created by the intersecting primary grid lines.

A. Ranges: Ranges are the six-mile-wide vertical (north-south) columns of land; they are not the square parcel created by the intersection of lines.

B. Sections: Sections are the 36 one-square-mile (640-acre) subdivisions that a township is divided into. They are smaller components within a township.

C. Tiers: Tiers are the six-mile-wide horizontal (east-west) rows of land. They are not the square parcel created by the intersection of lines.

1. North Carolina Real Estate Commission. (2023). North Carolina Real Estate Manual. Chapter 7, "Property Description," The Government (Rectangular) Survey System, pp. 7-10 to 7-12. This section explicitly details how range lines and township lines intersect to form townships.

2. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. (2009). Manual of Surveying Instructions. Chapter 3, "System of Rectangular Surveys," Sections 3-76 and 3-77, p. 80. This official manual states, "The township is the unit of survey... The law provides that townships shall be 6 miles square."

3. Floyd, C. F., & Allen, M. T. (2017). Real Estate Principles (11th ed.). University of Georgia, Terry College of Business. Chapter 5, "Property Descriptions." The text explains that the intersection of range lines and township lines forms a 36-square-mile area called a township.