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.
A square rod is a unit of area measurement that is now considered obsolete and not commonly used in modern times. It was historically used in some English-speaking countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, as part of the older system of land measurement.
One square rod is equal to an area of 1/160th of an acre or 1/4,840th of a square yard. In terms of square meters, one square rod is approximately equal to 25.29285264 square meters (m²).
The square rod was often used in land surveys and property descriptions in the past, but it has been largely replaced by more standardized systems of measurement. In modern times, square meters and square feet are the more commonly used units for measuring land area.