township

A township is a type of administrative division or geographic area whose meaning varies by country. The word comes from the Old English tun, meaning an enclosed settlement or farmstead. In many regions, a township is a subdivision of a county or district; in others it denotes a land measurement used for surveying.

In the United States, two distinct concepts share the name. A survey township is a square of land six miles on each side, comprising 36 square miles (23,040 acres) and used in the Public Land Survey System to describe property. A civil township is a local government entity in several states, with elected officials and responsibilities such as road maintenance, zoning, and sometimes services like police or fire protection. The existence and scope of civil townships vary by state.

In Canada, Ontario and some other provinces have townships as historical geographic divisions; some have evolved into rural municipalities, while others remain as survey townships referenced in land records.

Elsewhere, the term is used differently. In India, township often refers to planned urban developments or residential complexes. In the United Kingdom historically, a township was an administrative division within counties, particularly in the medieval and early modern periods; most have been superseded by other forms of local government.

The meaning of township today is therefore heterogeneous, reflecting local governance structures, land surveying practices, and urban planning traditions.