Township has multiple meanings in Canadian government contexts. As a municipal type, townships are rural municipalities in some provinces (particularly Ontario), providing local government for areas outside cities and towns. Township councils govern similarly to other municipalities but typically for less densely populated areas. Historically, 'township' also refers to a land survey unit—typically 36 square miles (93 km²)—used in western Canada's Dominion Land Survey system. This survey meaning persists in legal land descriptions even where 'township' isn't a municipal designation. The term's dual use as both municipal classification and survey measurement can cause confusion. In usage, context usually indicates whether township refers to a municipality or a survey unit.