In the Rectangular Survey or Government Rectangular Survey method of land description, the baseline is the principal east-west line to which all north-south measurements are referred.
Lines parallel to a principal meridian, marking off the land into six-mile strips known as ranges in the government rectangular survey system.
The Rectangular Survey System, also known as the Government Rectangular Survey System, is a method used in the United States to divide and describe land using a grid system based on principal meridians and baselines. This system was established by the Land Ordinance of 1785 to simplify and standardize land descriptions.
