Square Miles to Square Kilometers Converter
Explanation of the Units and the Difference between Them
The Square Miles to Square Kilometers Converter is a helpful calculator for anyone engaged in land area measures, academic research, estate, cartography, or environmental science. Two of the most standard area units used in various regions worldwide are square miles and square kilometers. This article explores the meaning of these units, the differences between them, the practical uses for both, and how one can seamlessly convert them.
About Square Miles and Square Kilometers
Square Miles (mi²)
One square mile is a unit of area measurement in the imperial system. It is primarily used within the United States, Great Britain, and most of the other countries that have historical links to British imperial measurement.
Definition: A square mile is the area of a square whose sides are exactly one mile each.
Usage: It is usually utilized when measuring large pieces of land. The forms can be cities, states, national parks, and countries.
Example: The state of California in the United States measures about 163,696 square miles.
Square Kilometres -km²
A square kilometer is a unit of area measurement in the metric system, adopted into everyday implementation worldwide due to the introduction of the International System of Units.
Definition: A square kilometer is the area of a square whose sides are one kilometer each.
Usage: It is widely used internationally to measure areas of land such as geographical regions, countries, and continents.
Example: The total area of land in India is about 3,287,263 square kilometers.
Difference between Square Miles and Square Kilometers
Square Miles –
Imperial and U.S. customary systems of measurement include square miles. This type is commonly used in the United States, the UK, and a couple of other countries which has been using the imperial system.
That is about one square mile equal to approximately 2.58999 square kilometers.
Square Kilometers –
The metric system used in most countries around the world is square kilometers. The area is the standard unit in the metric system.
1 square kilometer = 0.386102 square miles
5 Square Miles to Square Kilometers conversion formula and example
The conversion factor: of 1 square mile equals 2.58999 square kilometers.
Square Kilometers = Square Miles × 2.58999
So, if you want to convert 5 square miles to square kilometers, you would use the formula like this –
Square Kilometers = 5 × 2.58999
Square Kilometers = 12.94995
So, 5 square miles is approximately equal to 12.94995 square kilometers.
Interesting Facts About Square Miles and Square Kilometers
Largest countries: Looking at the map, the world map we turn around to see one really large country Russia. Russia is the largest country in the world; it has an area of it land area of about 17, 098, 242 square kilometers or 6, 601, 668 square miles – about 1. 8 times the area of the United States.
Smallest countries: When we turn on our maps and then decide to flip the scale up towards the side of smaller area, the country will be Vatican City which is a least covered country of the world. Vatican City covers 0.44 sq km (or 0.17 sq mi) and is the smallest area of any independent state in the world.
Historical context: While the metric system of measurements was adopted during the revolution French, the square mile has its origin back with the Romans.
A table for converting sq miles to sq kilometers
Square miles | Square kilometers |
---|---|
1 sq mi2 | 2.589988 km2 |
2 sq mi2 | 5.179976 km2 |
3 sq mi2 | 7.769964 km2 |
4 sq mi2 | 10.359952 km2 |
5 sq mi2 | 12.949941 km2 |
6 sq mi2 | 15.539929 km2 |
7 sq mi2 | 18.129917 km2 |
8 sq mi2 | 20.719905 km2 |
9 sq mi2 | 23.309893 km2 |
10 sq mi2 | 25.899881 km2 |
20 sq mi2 | 51.799762 km2 |
30 sq mi2 | 77.699643 km2 |
40 sq mi2 | 103.599524 km2 |
50 sq mi2 | 129.499406 km2 |
60 sq mi2 | 155.399287 km2 |
70 sq mi2 | 181.299168 km2 |
80 sq mi2 | 207.199049 km2 |
90 sq mi2 | 233.098930 km2 |
100 sq mi2 | 258.998811 km2 |
200 sq mi2 | 517.997622 km2 |
300 sq mi2 | 776.996433 km2 |
400 sq mi2 | 1,035.995244 km2 |
500 sq mi2 | 1,294.994055 km2 |
600 sq mi2 | 1,553.992866 km2 |
700 sq mi2 | 1,812.991677 km2 |
800 sq mi2 | 2,071.990488 km2 |
900 sq mi2 | 2,330.989299 km2 |
1,000 sq mi2 | 2,589.988110 km2 |
References:
1 . National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2022). "NIST Guide to SI Units - Appendix B8: Factors for Units Listed Alphabetically."
2 . United States Geological Survey (USGS). (2022). "Unit Conversions."