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Square kilometre
View on Wikipedia| square kilometre | |
|---|---|
The square kilometre (red square) compared to other areas, including a square mile (the entire yellow square) | |
| General information | |
| Unit system | SI units |
| Unit of | area |
| Symbol | km2 |
| Conversions | |
| 1 km2 in ... | ... is equal to ... |
| SI units |
|
| Imperial/US |
|
The square kilometre (square kilometer in American spelling; symbol: km2) is a multiple of the square metre, the SI unit of area or surface area. In the SI unit of area (m2), 1 km2 is equal to 1M(m2).
1 km2 is equal to:
- 1,000,000 square metres (m2)
- 100 hectares (ha)
It is also approximately equal to:
- 0.3861 square miles [2]
- 247.1 acres [3]
Conversely:
- 1 m2 = 0.000001 (10−6) km2
- 1 hectare = 0.01 (10−2) km2
- 1 square mile = 2.5899 km2 [4]
- 1 acre = about 0.004047 km2 [5]
The symbol "km2" means (km)2, square kilometre and not k(m2), kilo–square metre. For example, 3 km2 is equal to 3×(1,000m)2 = 3,000,000 m2, not 3,000 m2.
Examples of areas of 1 square kilometre
[edit]Topographical map grids
[edit]
Topographical map grids are worked out in metres, with the grid lines being 1,000 metres apart.
- 1:100,000 maps are divided into squares representing 1 km2, each square on the map being one square centimetre in area and representing 1 km2 on the surface of the Earth.
- For 1:50,000 maps, the grid lines are 2 cm apart. Each square on the map is 2 cm by 2 cm (4 cm2) and represents 1 km2 on the surface of the Earth.
- For 1:25,000 maps, the grid lines are 4 cm apart. Each square on the map is 4 cm by 4 cm (16 cm2) and represents 1 km2 on the surface of the Earth.
In each case, the grid lines enclose one square kilometre.
Medieval city centres
[edit]
The area enclosed by the walls of many European medieval cities were about one square kilometre. These walls are often either still standing or the route they followed is still clearly visible, such as in Brussels, where the wall has been replaced by a ring road, or in Frankfurt, where the wall has been replaced by gardens. The approximate area of the old walled cities can often be worked out by fitting the course of the wall to a rectangle or an oval (ellipse). Examples include:
- Delft, Netherlands (See map alongside) 52°0′54″N 4°21′34″E / 52.01500°N 4.35944°E
- The walled city of Delft was approximately rectangular.
- The medieval city is roughly rectangular with rounded north-east and north-west corners.
- The medieval city of Bruges, a major centre in Flanders, was roughly oval or elliptical in shape with the longer or semi-major axis running north and south.
- Chester United Kingdom 53°12′1″N 2°52′45″W / 53.20028°N 2.87917°W
- Chester is one of the smaller English cities that has a near-intact city wall.[7]
Parks
[edit]Parks come in all sizes; a few are almost exactly one square kilometre in area. Here are some examples:
- Riverside Country Park, UK.[8]
- Brierley Forest Park, UK.[9]
- Rio de Los Angeles State Park, California, US [10]
- Jones County Central Park, Iowa, US.[11]
- Kiest Park, Dallas, Texas, US [12]
- Hole-in-the-Wall Park & Campground, Grand Manan Island, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada [13]
- Downing Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada [14]
- Citadel Park, Poznan, Poland [15]
- Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia, contains 6.63 square kilometres of wetlands and waterways.[16]
Golf courses
[edit]Using the figures published by golf course architects Crafter and Mogford, a course should have a fairway width of 120 metres and 40 metres clear beyond the hole. Assuming a 6,000-metre (6,600 yd) 18-hole course, an area of 80 hectares (0.8 square kilometre) needs to be allocated for the course itself.[17][Note 1] Examples of golf courses that are about one square kilometre include:
- Manchester Golf Club, UK [18]
- Northop Country Park, Wales, UK [18]
- The Trophy Club, Lebanon, Indiana, US [19]
- Qingdao International Country Golf Course, Qingdao, Shandong, China
- Arabian Ranches Golf Club, Dubai [20]
- Sharm el Sheikh Golf Courses: Sharm el Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt [21]
- Belmont Golf Club, Lake Macquarie, NSW, Australia [22]
Other areas of one square kilometre or thereabouts
[edit]- The Old City of Jerusalem is almost 1 square kilometre in area.[23]
- Milton Science Park, Oxfordshire, UK.[24]
- Mielec Industrial Park, Mielec, Poland [25]
- The Guildford Campus of Guildford Grammar School, South Guildford, Western Australia[26]
- Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT), Surat, India [27]
- Île aux Cerfs, near the east coast of Mauritius.[28]
- Peng Chau Island, Hong Kong[29]
See also
[edit]- Conversion of units
- SI prefix for the precise meaning of the prefix "k"
- Square Kilometre Array, a proposed radio telescope in both South Africa and Australia, which is intended to have a collecting area of approximately 1 km2
Notes
[edit]- ^ Assume that each hole requires (6000÷18 + 40) = 373 metres in length. The area needed is (18 × 373 × 120 ÷ 10,000) = 80.64 ha (1 hectare = 10,000 square metres).
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "UnitConversion.org Area Converter". web page. UnitConversion.org. 2009. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ There are 0.386102159 international square miles in a square kilometer while there are 0.386100614 US Survey square miles in the same measure. This is because the US Survey measures are very slightly larger than the international measures.[1]
- ^ There are 247.105381467 international acres in a square kilometre while there are only 247.104393047 of the very slightly larger US Survey acres.[1]
- ^ An International square mile equals 2.58998811 km2 while the slightly larger US Survey square mile equals 2.58999847 km2.[1]
- ^ 1 acre (International) = 0.004046856 km2 while 1 acre (US Survey) = 0.004046873 km2 [1]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Measurements taken from Google Earth
- ^ Howe, Steve. "Chester: A Virtual Stroll around the Walls". Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Medway Council Riverside Country Park". web page. Medway Council. 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "Ashfield Brierley Forest Park". web page. Ashfield District Council. 2012. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "California Department of Parks and Recreation Rio de Los Angeles State Park". web page. State of California. 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "Parks & Recreation Central Park, Center Junction, Iowa". web page. Jones County Tourism Association. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "A History of Kiest Park". web page. Friends of Oak Cliff Parks. 2010. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "Hole-in-the-Wall Park & Campground". web page. Hole-in-the-Wall Park & Campground. 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "BC Parks Downing Provincial Park". web page. British Columbia Ministry of Environment. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "Citadel Park". web page. Poland Travel. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "Sydney Olympic Park Parklands Fact Sheet". web page. Sydney Olympic Park Authority. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "Golf Course Safety" (PDF). Crafter + Mogford, golf course architects. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ^ a b "Visitor Information [Manchester Golf Club]". web page. Manchester Golf Club Ltd. Archived from the original on 25 May 2012. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ "Welcome to the Trophy Club". web page. The Trophy Club. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ "Arabian Ranches Golf Club". 7 Days in Dubai. Catchpole Communications FZ-LLC, Al Sidra Media LLC. Archived from the original on 2012-09-08. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
- ^ "Sharm el Sheikh Golf Courses: Sharm el Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt". web page. TravelSmart Ltd: World Guides. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ "Belmont Golf Club, Lake Macquarie, History". web page. Belmont Golf Club. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
- ^ "Jerusalem - The Old City". web page. The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. 2012. Retrieved 6 July 2012. Actually, about 89 hectares.
- ^ "Science Vale UK". web page. Abbey House. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ "Invest in Poland". web page. Polish information and foreign investment agency. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ "Guildford Grammar School". waterhall.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "39th National Conference on Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power". web page. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT). Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- ^ "MauritiusAttraction". Amity Institute of Higher Education, Mauritius. Amity Institute of Higher Education. 2011. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ^ "Peng Chau<Leisure Line - Barrier-Free Information Website - Hong Kong Federation of Handicapped Youth". e-cgo.org.hk.
Square kilometre
View on GrokipediaDefinition and Fundamentals
Definition
The square kilometre (symbol: km²) is a unit of area in the International System of Units (SI), defined as the area of a square with each side measuring exactly one kilometre.[1] This unit is derived from the base SI unit of length, the metre, through the application of the SI prefix "kilo," which denotes a factor of 10³, making one kilometre equal to 1,000 metres.[5] Mathematically, the square kilometre is expressed as the square of one kilometre:This corresponds to an area of 1,000,000 square metres, since .[5] As a coherent derived SI unit for area, it follows directly from the definition of area as length squared, ensuring consistency within the metric system.[5] The square kilometre is particularly suited for measuring large-scale areas, such as those encountered in geography, land surveying, and environmental studies, where smaller units like the square metre would result in cumbersome numerical values.[1] For instance, the area of a mid-sized city might be expressed in square kilometres to provide a practical scale, avoiding the need for millions or billions of square metres.[1]
Notation and Symbol
The square kilometre, representing the area of a square with sides of one kilometre, is denoted by the official SI symbol km², where the superscript 2 indicates the squaring of the kilometre unit, as established by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM).[5] In writing, the symbol km² follows strict SI conventions: the prefix "k" (for kilo) is attached directly to the base unit "m" (for metre) without spaces or hyphens, and the power is rendered as a superscript numeral; no periods are used (e.g., not km.²), and the plural form remains unchanged as km² regardless of quantity (e.g., 5 km²).[5] A non-breaking space is recommended between a numerical value and the symbol for clarity in typesetting, though in plain text, a regular space suffices. SI unit symbols, including km², are standardized internationally and identical across languages, using the Latin alphabet regardless of the script or language of the surrounding text; for instance, in Cyrillic or Arabic contexts, the symbol km² remains unaltered while the descriptive text adapts to the local language.[6] In non-Latin scripts, such as Chinese or Japanese technical documents, the symbol is typically transliterated or presented in its standard Latin form without variation.[7] Common errors in notation include inserting spaces within the symbol (e.g., km ²), using caret notation like km^2 in place of the proper superscript in formatted text, adding unnecessary periods or plural endings (e.g., km²s), or confusing km² with the linear kilometre (km), which can lead to misinterpretation in technical writing.[8][9] To avoid ambiguity, especially in plain text environments without superscript support, the symbol should be clearly distinguished from linear units through context or explicit formatting.Unit Conversions
Metric Equivalents
The square kilometre (km²) is directly equivalent to 1,000,000 square metres (m²), 100 hectares (ha), and 10,000 ares (a).[1][1][10] For example, 2 km² is equivalent to exactly 2,000,000 square metres (m²) and 200 hectares (ha). These conversions derive from the structure of the metric system, where the kilo- prefix represents a factor of 10³. Thus, one kilometre equals 10³ metres, and squaring yields (10³)² = 10⁶ square metres for one square kilometre.[11] The hectare, a non-SI unit retained for land measurement, equals 10,000 square metres or one square hectometre (hm²), so one square kilometre equals 10⁶ / 10⁴ = 100 hectares.[1] Similarly, the are equals 100 square metres or one square dekametre (dam²), resulting in one square kilometre equaling 10⁶ / 10² = 10,000 ares.[10] In practice, the square kilometre suits measurements of large-scale areas, such as countries or regions, while the hectare is preferred for smaller land parcels like farms or fields, providing a more convenient scale for agricultural and real estate applications.[1]| Unit | Symbol | Equivalent to 1 km² |
|---|---|---|
| Square kilometre | km² | 1 |
| Hectare | ha | 100 |
| Are | a | 10,000 |
| Square metre | m² | 1,000,000 |
Imperial and US Customary Equivalents
The square kilometre, equivalent to 1,000,000 square metres, converts to several key units in the imperial and US customary systems of measurement. One square kilometre is approximately equal to 247.105 acres, based on the international acre defined as 4,046.8564224 square metres.[12] For the US survey acre, which measures 4,046.873 square metres, the equivalent is approximately 247.104 acres per square kilometre.[12] In terms of larger areas, one square kilometre corresponds to about 0.386102 square miles, derived from the international mile of 1.609344 kilometres.[13] Thus, 2 square kilometres is approximately 494.21 acres and 0.772 square miles. Additionally, one square kilometre equals precisely 1,195,990 square yards, using the international yard of 0.9144 metres.[13] These conversions are particularly relevant in contexts such as international real estate transactions and agricultural assessments, where properties may be described using both metric and customary units. A township section, defined as one square mile and equivalent to 640 acres, measures approximately 2.59 square kilometres.[13] The following table summarizes primary conversions from square kilometres to selected imperial and US customary area units:| Square Kilometres (km²) | Acres (ac) | Square Miles (mi²) | Square Yards (yd²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 247.105 | 0.386102 | 1,195,990 |
| 10 | 2,471.05 | 3.86102 | 11,959,900 |
| 100 | 24,710.5 | 38.6102 | 119,599,000 |
