A township can have different meanings depending on the country and context in which it is used:
United States and Canada (North America): In North America, a township is a specific type of administrative division used in land survey systems. In the United States, townships are most commonly used in the Midwest and some other parts of the country. In Canada, townships are used primarily in the eastern provinces. These townships are typically a square area of land, typically six miles by six miles (36 square miles), or a similar configuration depending on the specific survey system used. Townships can be further divided into smaller units, such as sections, for land management and ownership purposes.
South Africa: In South Africa, a township refers to a residential area established during the apartheid era for non-white citizens. These areas were segregated from the main cities and towns and often experienced poor living conditions. Today, many townships have evolved and have improved living conditions, but the term is still associated with historically segregated communities.
Australia: In Australia, the term "township" is often used to refer to small rural towns or settlements. These are typically smaller than cities or larger towns and often serve as centers for local communities.
An "arpent" is a historical unit of length used primarily in France, Canada, and some parts of the United States. The exact length of an arpent can vary depending on the region and historical context, but it is typically close to 180 French feet.
In the traditional French system of measurements, which was used in many parts of North America when they were colonized by the French, one arpent is equal to approximately 5.99 meters or about 19.62 feet. However, there were variations in the length of the arpent in different regions, so the specific value could differ.
Arpents were often used for land measurement and property boundaries in historical French colonial territories. Today, the use of the arpent has largely been replaced by more modern and standardized systems of measurement, such as the metric system in most parts of the world, including France and Canada, and the U.S. customary system in the United States.
An "arpent" is an old unit of length and area that was historically used in France and some former French colonies, including parts of North America, such as Louisiana. The exact value of an arpent varied depending on the region and time period but was typically around 180 to 190 feet (approximately 54.86 to 57.91 meters) in length.
Arpents were used for land measurement and land distribution in colonial and early American history, particularly in French colonial territories. In some cases, the term "arpent" was also used to refer to a unit of land area, and it was equivalent to the area of a strip of land that was one arpent wide and one arpent long, resulting in an area of approximately 0.85 to 0.9 acres, depending on the specific measurement used.
Today, the use of the arpent is largely historical, and modern land measurements in countries that previously used the arpent are typically expressed in more standardized units such as acres or square meters.