What is the size of a standard section of land?

A standard section of land is defined as one mile by one mile. This measurement constitutes a square area, which totals 640 acres. In the context of land surveying and real estate in the United States, this system is part of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), where sections are used to divide townships into manageable parcels. Each township typically measures six miles by six miles and contains 36 sections, making the one mile by one mile definition significant in rural land assessment and management.

The other provided options do not align with the standard land measurement used in the PLSS or are impractical in this context. For example, a square kilometer or a two-mile square measurement would yield areas that are not recognized as standard sections in the same terminology. Additionally, five acres is a much smaller area than a section, highlighting that understanding the dimensions of a section is crucial in rural land transactions and evaluations.