Square Mile to Square Kilometer Converter

How many square meters are in one square kilometer?

There are exactly 1,000,000 square meters (m²) in one square kilometer.

Calculation: 1 km² = 1,000 m × 1,000 m = 1,000,000 m²

Conversion:

• 1 km² = 1,000,000 m²
• 0.1 km² = 100,000 m²
• 0.01 km² = 10,000 m²
• Example: 2.5 km² = 2,500,000 m²

Use our square kilometer to square meter converter for instant conversions.

How many hectares are in one square kilometer?

There are exactly 100 hectares (ha) in one square kilometer.

Why: 1 km² = 1,000,000 m² and 1 ha = 10,000 m², therefore: 1 km² = 1,000,000 m² ÷ 10,000 m²/ha = 100 ha

Conversion examples:

• 1 km² = 100 hectares
• 10 km² = 1,000 hectares
• 0.5 km² = 50 hectares
• 2.5 km² = 250 hectares

When to use which:

• Hectares: Farms, parks, smaller land areas (1-1,000 ha)
• Square kilometers: Cities, regions, countries (0.1+ km²)

Convert between them: km² to hectares | Hectares to km²

How do you convert square kilometers to square miles?

To convert square kilometers to square miles, multiply the area in square kilometers by approximately 0.386102.

Conversion formula: Area [mi²] ≈ Area [km²] × 0.386102

Examples:

• 1 km² ≈ 0.386 mi²
• 10 km² ≈ 3.86 mi²
• 100 km² ≈ 38.6 mi²
• 1,000 km² ≈ 386 mi²

Reverse conversion (square miles to square kilometers):

• Multiply by approximately 2.58999
• 1 mi² ≈ 2.59 km²

Why this factor?:

• 1 km = 0.621371 miles
• 1 km² = (0.621371)² = 0.386102 mi²

Use our km² to mi² converter for accurate conversions without manual calculation.

Is the square kilometer an official SI unit?

Technically, the official SI derived unit for area is the square meter (m²).

However, the square kilometer (km²) is a standard and fully accepted multiple within the metric system and for use alongside SI units.

Why it's accepted:

• Formed by combining an SI prefix (kilo-) with the SI base unit (meter) raised to the power of two
• Follows SI conventions and decimal scaling
• Listed in SI documentation as a "unit accepted for use with SI"
• Used universally in scientific, technical, and official applications

In practice:

• m² is the "base" SI unit for area
• km² is the practical unit for large areas
• Both are fully part of the international metric system

What is the difference between a kilometer and a square kilometer?

Kilometer (km) is a unit of length or distance (one dimension). Square kilometer (km²) is a unit of area (two dimensions).

The difference:

Kilometer (km) - 1D:

• Measures distance, length, height
• Examples: Road length, height of mountain, distance between cities
• Linear measurement

Square Kilometer (km²) - 2D:

• Measures area, surface
• Examples: Size of a country, area of a lake, extent of a forest
• Represents a square with sides of one kilometer each

Key distinction:

• 10 km might be the distance from point A to point B
• 10 km² might be the area of a small town

Analogy:

• Kilometer is like measuring the perimeter of a fence
• Square kilometer is like measuring the area inside the fence

How big is 1 square kilometer visually?

1 square kilometer (km²) is a square with sides exactly 1 kilometer (1,000 meters) long.

Visual comparisons:

• 100 American football fields (including end zones)
• About 150 soccer/football fields
• 0.39 square miles (just over 1/3 of a square mile)
• 247 acres (almost 250 acres)
• A 10-minute walk around the perimeter (4 km)

In city terms:

• Small to medium neighborhood
• 2-4 city blocks (in large US cities)
• Area you could see from a tall building
• Walking distance of 15-20 minutes to cross

In rural terms:

• Large farm
• Small village area
• Several hundred house lots

Perspective:

• Central Park (NYC): 3.41 km²
• Vatican City: 0.44 km²
• Monaco: 2.02 km²

How to visualize: Imagine walking 1 km north, then 1 km east, then 1 km south, then 1 km west back to start - the area inside is 1 km².

What is 100 km² equivalent to?

100 square kilometers = 38.6 square miles = 10,000 hectares = 24,710 acres

City examples (approximately 100 km² or close):

• Paris (city proper): 105 km²
• Washington, D.C.: 177 km²
• Boston: 232 km²
• San Francisco: 121 km²
• Miami: 143 km²
• Manhattan: 59 km² (about 60% of 100 km²)

Country examples (small island nations):

• Maldives: 300 km² (about 3 times)
• Grenada: 344 km² (about 3.5 times)
• Saint Vincent: 389 km² (about 4 times)

Natural features:

• Medium-sized lake
• Large national park or nature reserve
• Small island
• Significant forest area

Population examples:

• At urban density (5,000 people/km²): 500,000 people
• At suburban density (1,000 people/km²): 100,000 people
• At rural density (50 people/km²): 5,000 people

Practical understanding:

• Medium-sized city or large town
• Area you could drive across in 15-30 minutes
• Typical county in smaller US states

Convert 100 km²: to square miles | to hectares

How do you calculate the area in square kilometers?

Basic formula for rectangles: Area (km²) = Length (km) × Width (km)

Step-by-step process:

1. Measure dimensions:

• Measure length and width in kilometers
• If measured in meters, divide by 1,000 to get kilometers
• If measured in miles, multiply by 1.609 to get kilometers

2. Calculate:

• Multiply length by width
• Result is in square kilometers

Examples:

Example 1 - Simple rectangle:

• Length: 5 km
• Width: 3 km
• Area = 5 km × 3 km = 15 km²

Example 2 - From meters:

• Length: 2,500 meters = 2.5 km
• Width: 4,000 meters = 4 km
• Area = 2.5 km × 4 km = 10 km²

Example 3 - From miles:

• Length: 6 miles = 9.66 km
• Width: 4 miles = 6.44 km
• Area = 9.66 km × 6.44 km ≈ 62.2 km²

For complex shapes:

Circle:

• Area = π × radius²
• If radius = 5 km: Area = 3.14159 × 5² ≈ 78.5 km²

Irregular shapes:

• Divide into triangles/rectangles
• Calculate each section
• Add all sections together
• Or use GIS/mapping software

Using GPS coordinates:

• Use online area calculators
• Import coordinates into GIS software
• Software calculates irregular polygons automatically

Verification:

• Use our area converter to check your calculations
• Convert to other units to verify makes sense

What countries are about 1,000 km²?

Countries close to 1,000 km² (between 500-1,500 km²):

Very close to 1,000 km²:

• Hong Kong: 1,104 km²
• Samoa: 2,842 km²
• Luxembourg: 2,586 km²
• Mauritius: 2,040 km²

Between 500-1,000 km²:

• Singapore: 728 km²
• Bahrain: 778 km²
• Kiribati: 811 km²
• Tonga: 747 km²
• Federated States of Micronesia: 702 km²
• Saint Lucia: 617 km²
• Andorra: 468 km²

Between 1,000-1,500 km²:

• Cape Verde: 4,033 km²
• Trinidad and Tobago: 5,131 km²
• Comoros: 1,862 km²
• São Tomé and Príncipe: 964 km²

For comparison:

• 1,000 km² = 386 square miles
• About the size of Hong Kong or 10x the size of Paris
• Smaller than most US counties
• Medium-sized metropolitan area

Interesting fact: Only about 30 countries are smaller than 1,000 km², mostly island nations and microstates.

How many acres is a square kilometer?

1 square kilometer = 247.105 acres (commonly rounded to 247 acres)

Conversion formula: Acres = km² × 247.105

Examples:

• 1 km² = 247 acres
• 5 km² = 1,235 acres
• 10 km² = 2,471 acres
• 100 km² = 24,710 acres
• 0.1 km² = 24.7 acres

Reverse conversion (acres to km²):

• 1 acre = 0.00405 km²
• 100 acres = 0.405 km²
• 1,000 acres = 4.05 km²
• 10,000 acres = 40.5 km²

Perspective:

• A square kilometer is about 247 football fields
• A large farm might be 200-400 acres (0.8-1.6 km²)
• A golf course is typically 50-80 acres (0.2-0.3 km²)

When to use which:

• Acres: US land parcels, farms, developments (< 1,000 acres)
• Square kilometers: Large regions, cities, countries (> 0.5 km²)

Use our converter: km² to acres | Acres to km²

How is square kilometers different from cubic kilometers?

Square Kilometers (km²) and Cubic Kilometers (km³) measure different things:

Square Kilometers (km²) - AREA (2D):

• Measures surface area
• Two-dimensional
• Example: Land area of a country, surface of a lake
• Unit: km × km = km²

Cubic Kilometers (km³) - VOLUME (3D):

• Measures volume or capacity
• Three-dimensional
• Example: Volume of water in a lake, ice in a glacier
• Unit: km × km × km = km³

Real-world examples:

Lake Michigan:

• Area (surface): 58,000 km²
• Volume (water): 4,920 km³

Amazon Rainforest:

• Area (coverage): 5,500,000 km²
• Volume (if measuring biomass in 3D): Would be km³

City:

• Area (footprint): Measured in km²
• Volume (including buildings/air): Could be km³ (rarely used)

Key differences:

| Feature | km² (Area) | km³ (Volume) | |---------|-----------|--------------| | Dimensions | 2D (length × width) | 3D (length × width × height) | | Measures | Surface area | Space/capacity | | Examples | Country size, lake surface | Water volume, ice volume | | Conversion | 1 km² = 1,000,000 m² | 1 km³ = 1,000,000,000 m³ |

Remember:

• km² = Flat surface measurement
• km³ = 3D space measurement

What is the area of the Earth in square kilometers?

Total Earth surface area: Approximately 510,000,000 km² (510 million km²)

Breakdown:

Water (Oceans and seas):

• Area: ~361,000,000 km² (361 million km²)
• Percentage: ~71% of Earth's surface
• All oceans, seas, lakes combined

Land:

• Area: ~149,000,000 km² (149 million km²)
• Percentage: ~29% of Earth's surface
• All continents and islands

Continents by area:

1. Asia: 44,579,000 km²
2. Africa: 30,370,000 km²
3. North America: 24,709,000 km²
4. South America: 17,840,000 km²
5. Antarctica: 14,000,000 km² (varies with ice)
6. Europe: 10,180,000 km²
7. Australia/Oceania: 8,600,000 km²

Oceans by area:

1. Pacific: 165,200,000 km²
2. Atlantic: 106,460,000 km²
3. Indian: 70,560,000 km²
4. Southern: 20,327,000 km²
5. Arctic: 14,060,000 km²

In other units:

• 510 million km² = 196.9 million mi²
• 510 million km² = 51 billion hectares

Interesting comparisons:

• Russia (largest country): 17 million km² = 3.3% of Earth's surface
• Pacific Ocean alone: 32% of Earth's surface
• All land combined: About the size of the Pacific Ocean + Atlantic Ocean

Note: These are approximate values; exact measurements vary slightly based on sea level, ice coverage, and measurement methodology.