What type of legal description includes the name of a principal meridian?

The rectangular government survey system is the correct choice because it employs a grid system to identify land parcels, using principal meridians and base lines as the foundational reference points. Each principal meridian serves as a north-south reference line, and land is surveyed in townships and sections based on this system. The use of principal meridians is a hallmark characteristic that distinguishes rectangular government surveys from other methods of legal land description.

In contrast to the rectangular survey, metes and bounds describe properties using physical features and distances without referencing a grid or meridian system. Lot and block descriptions are based on recorded subdivision plats and provide a more simplified reference using lots and blocks rather than geographical coordinates or meridians. Survey plats depict the layout of a specific parcel of land but do not inherently include the concept of a principal meridian. Thus, the rectangular government survey uniquely identifies properties by noting the principal meridian, making it the relevant answer.