square kilometre (km²)
1 square kilometre = 1,000,000 square metres
What is square kilometre?
A square kilometre is a metric unit of area equal to one million square metres. It is used for measuring large geographic areas such as countries, forests, lakes, and urban zones.
Notes: Metric unit
Real-world uses
Square kilometres are used for country areas, city boundaries, national park sizes, and deforestation tracking. Geographic and environmental data, including satellite imagery resolution, reference areas in km². Singapore is about 733 km², for scale.
History
The square kilometre became the standard large-area unit with global metrication, replacing traditional units like the square league. It is the preferred unit for geographic and political area comparisons in international statistics and the United Nations system.
Common mistakes
Thinking 1 km² = 1,000 m². It is actually 1,000,000 m² (1 km × 1 km). Also, confusing square kilometres with kilometres squared in conversation, though mathematically they mean the same thing.
When is this conversion used?
Converting square kilometre to square metre is useful in the area domain when comparing values across different measurement standards or applying formulas that require a specific unit.
How to convert square kilometre to square metre
To convert square kilometre to square metre, multiply the value by 1,000,000.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 1e6
Measurement standards
The square metre is the SI derived unit of area. The hectare (10,000 m²) is accepted for use with the SI by the BIPM, particularly for land measurement, though it is not an SI unit itself.
Did you know?
Vatican City, the world's smallest independent state, covers just 0.44 km² (about 109 acres) — smaller than many golf courses. By contrast, Russia spans over 17.1 million km², nearly 39 million times larger.
| square kilometres | square metres |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 100,000 |
| 0.5 | 500,000 |
| 1 | 1,000,000 |
| 2 | 2,000,000 |
| 5 | 5,000,000 |
| 10 | 10,000,000 |
| 25 | 25,000,000 |
| 50 | 50,000,000 |
| 100 | 100,000,000 |
| 250 | 250,000,000 |
| 500 | 500,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 1.000000e+09 |
Common values
| square kilometres | square metres | |
|---|---|---|
| A4 paper | 6.200000e-08 square kilometres | 0.062 square metres |
| Parking space | 0.0000125 square kilometres | 12.5 square metres |
| Tennis court | 0.00026087 square kilometres | 260.87 square metres |
| Football field (soccer) | 0.00714 square kilometres | 7,140 square metres |
| Central Park, NYC | 3.41 square kilometres | 3,410,000 square metres |
Full square kilometre conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| square metre | 1 km² = 1,000,000 m² | × 1,000,000 |
| square foot | 1 km² = 10,763,910.41670972 ft² | × 10,763,910.41670972 |
| square mile | 1 km² = 0.38610216 mi² | × 0.38610216 |
| acre | 1 km² = 247.10538147 ac | × 247.10538147 |
| hectare | 1 km² = 100 ha | × 100 |
| square centimetre | 1 km² = 1.000000e+10 cm² | × 1.000000e+10 |
| square inch | 1 km² = 1.550003e+09 in² | × 1.550003e+09 |
| square yard | 1 km² = 1,195,990.04630108 yd² | × 1,195,990.04630108 |
| are | 1 km² = 10,000 a | × 10,000 |