What method of land description is used in about 30 states based on imaginary lines of longitude and latitude?

The rectangular survey method, also known as the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), is employed in approximately 30 states in the U.S. This method is organized around a grid system that uses imaginary lines of longitude and latitude to divide land into townships and sections. Each township is typically six miles square and is further divided into 36 sections, which are one mile square. This systematic approach to land description allows for a uniform and organized method of identifying and surveying parcels of land, making it easier for landowners and surveyors to communicate about locations and boundaries.

The rectangular survey is particularly effective in the midwestern and western regions of the United States, where the landscape and land ownership patterns were established later, allowing for the adoption of this organized system. This method provides clear instructions for locating parcels of land based on their relation to the grid, which is not as straightforward in other methods such as metes and bounds, which relies on physical features and boundaries that can be less precise.