Link (Gunter's) to Nautical Mile Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool

The Link, specifically Gunter's Link (symbol li), is a unit of length historically used in surveying, particularly within the imperial and U.S. customary systems. It is defined as exactly 1/100th of a Gunter's chain.

One Gunter's link is equivalent to:

• 0.01 Gunter's chains
• 7.92 inches (in)
• 0.66 feet (ft) (exactly 2/3 of a foot)
• 0.22 yards (yd)
• 0.04 rods (also called poles or perches)
• 0.201168 meters (m) (exactly)
• 20.1168 centimeters (cm)

A Gunter's chain itself measures 66 feet, 22 yards, 4 rods, or 20.1168 meters.

The link, as part of Gunter's chain, was devised by the English clergyman and mathematician Edmund Gunter around 1620. He introduced a measuring chain that was 66 feet long and divided into 100 links. This system was revolutionary for surveyors because its decimal nature (100 links per chain) simplified calculations, especially for area. Land area could be easily calculated in square chains and then converted to acres, as 10 square chains equal exactly 1 acre. Gunter's chain and its links became the standard tools for land surveying in England and later throughout the British Empire and the United States for centuries.

The Gunter's link is now largely obsolete but was historically significant:

• Land Surveying: It was the fundamental unit for measuring property boundaries and land parcels in English-speaking countries for over 300 years.
• Cartography: Used in creating maps and plats based on surveys.
• Land Records: Measurements in links (and chains) frequently appear in older property deeds, historical surveys, and legal descriptions of land. Understanding the link is crucial for interpreting these documents.
• Agriculture: The system was tied to the definition of the acre, a common unit of land area.

Its use declined dramatically with the adoption of the metric system and the advent of more precise surveying technologies like steel tapes, theodolites, Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM), and GPS.