Square Mile to Hectare Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert square miles to hectares with our free online area converter.
Square Mile to Hectare Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Square Mile).
- The converted value in Hectare will appear automatically in the 'To' field.
- Use the dropdown menus to select different units within the Area category.
- Click the swap button (⇌) to reverse the conversion direction.
How to Convert Square Mile to Hectare
Converting Square Mile to Hectare involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Square Mile = 258.9988 hectares
Example Calculation:
Convert 10 square miles: 10 × 258.9988 = 2589.988 hectares
Note: Conversion factors can sometimes be rounded for display purposes. For precise calculations, always use the full factor or rely on the calculator above.
What is a Square Mile and a Hectare?
The square mile (symbol: mi², sq mi) is an imperial and US customary unit of area. It represents the area of a square with sides that are each one statute mile long.
The hectare (symbol: ha) is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square meters (100 m x 100 m), and primarily used in the measurement of land.
Note: The Square Mile is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Hectare belongs to the imperial/US customary system.
History of the Square Mile and Hectare
Derived from the mile, a unit of distance with Roman origins, the square mile became a standard unit for measuring large land areas in the imperial system, particularly within the British Empire and the United States. It's often used for geographic and administrative divisions.
Introduced during the French Revolution with the original metric system in 1795, the hectare provided a convenient metric unit for land measurement, larger than the square meter but smaller than the square kilometer. It gained widespread international acceptance, particularly with the adoption of the SI system, becoming the standard for land sales and management in many countries.
Common Uses for square miles and hectares
Explore the typical applications for both Square Mile (imperial/US) and Hectare (imperial/US) to understand their common contexts.
Common Uses for square miles
- Geography & Cartography (US/UK): Used for measuring large land areas such as counties, national parks, large estates, or city limits in countries using the imperial/US customary system.
- Demographics (US/UK): Calculating population density (people per sq mi) in relevant regions.
- Surveying: Used in land surveying for large tracts of land.
- Historical Records: Appears in older land deeds and geographical descriptions in relevant countries.
Common Uses for hectares
- Land Measurement (Global Metric): The primary unit for selling and managing land, especially agricultural land, forestry, and large real estate plots, in most countries worldwide using the metric system.
- Agriculture & Forestry: Standard unit for reporting crop yields, farm sizes, and forest areas.
- Urban Planning: Measuring parks, large developments, and zoning areas.
- Environmental Management: Quantifying the area of conservation zones or affected land areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Square Mile (mi²)
How many acres are in a square mile?
There are exactly 640 acres in one square mile.
How many square feet are in a square mile?
One square mile contains 27,878,400 square feet (5280 feet x 5280 feet).
How many square kilometers are in a square mile?
One square mile is approximately 2.59 square kilometers.
Is the square mile used globally?
No, its use is primarily confined to the United States and other countries that traditionally use the imperial or US customary systems for land measurement. The square kilometer is the more common international standard for large areas.
About Hectare (ha)
How many square meters are in a hectare?
There are exactly 10,000 square meters in one hectare.
How many acres are in a hectare?
One hectare is equal to approximately 2.471 acres.
How many hectares are in a square kilometer?
There are 100 hectares in one square kilometer (since 1 km² = 1,000,000 m² and 1 ha = 10,000 m²).
Is the hectare an official SI unit?
While not technically an SI unit (the SI unit of area is the square meter), the hectare is accepted for use with the International System of Units (SI) and is the standard metric unit for land area globally.
Conversion Table: Square Mile to Hectare
Square Mile (mi²) | Hectare (ha) |
---|---|
1 | 258.999 |
5 | 1,294.994 |
10 | 2,589.988 |
25 | 6,474.97 |
50 | 12,949.941 |
100 | 25,899.881 |
500 | 129,499.406 |
1,000 | 258,998.811 |