square mile (mi²)
1 square mile = 2,589,988.110336 square metres
What is square mile?
A square mile is a unit of area in imperial and US customary systems equal to 640 acres. It is used to express the size of cities, regions, and geographic territories in the United States and United Kingdom.
Notes: Imperial/USCS unit
Real-world uses
Square miles are used for city areas, county sizes, and population density calculations in the US and UK. Manhattan is about 23 square miles. National parks and wilderness areas are often described in square miles in American contexts.
History
The square mile became a standard geographic unit in English-speaking countries alongside the statute mile. The US Public Land Survey System, established in 1785, divided territory into 36-square-mile townships, each containing 36 one-square-mile sections.
Common mistakes
Assuming 1 square mile = 1 mile × 1 mile = 1 mi². While correct, people forget that 1 sq mi = 640 acres or about 2.59 km², leading to errors when comparing American and metric area figures.
When is this conversion used?
Converting between square mile and square metre is common when working across metric and imperial systems, such as international trade, travel between countries with different measurement standards, or following instructions from a different region.
How to convert square mile to square metre
To convert square mile to square metre, multiply the value by 2,589,988.110336.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 2589988.110336
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 miles | square metres |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 258,998.8110336 |
| 0.5 | 1,294,994.055168 |
| 1 | 2,589,988.110336 |
| 2 | 5,179,976.220672 |
| 5 | 12,949,940.55168 |
| 10 | 25,899,881.10336 |
| 25 | 64,749,702.7584 |
| 50 | 129,499,405.5168 |
| 100 | 258,998,811.0336 |
| 250 | 647,497,027.58399999 |
| 500 | 1.294994e+09 |
| 1,000 | 2.589988e+09 |
Common values
| square miles | square metres | |
|---|---|---|
| A4 paper | 2.393833e-08 square miles | 0.062 square metres |
| Parking space | 0.00000483 square miles | 12.5 square metres |
| Tennis court | 0.00010072 square miles | 260.87 square metres |
| Football field (soccer) | 0.00275677 square miles | 7,140 square metres |
| Central Park, NYC | 1.31660836 square miles | 3,410,000 square metres |
Full square mile conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| square metre | 1 mi² = 2,589,988.110336 m² | × 2,589,988.110336 |
| square kilometre | 1 mi² = 2.58998811 km² | × 2.58998811 |
| square foot | 1 mi² = 27,878,400 ft² | × 27,878,400 |
| acre | 1 mi² = 640 ac | × 640 |
| hectare | 1 mi² = 258.99881103 ha | × 258.99881103 |
| square centimetre | 1 mi² = 2.589988e+10 cm² | × 2.589988e+10 |
| square inch | 1 mi² = 4.014490e+09 in² | × 4.014490e+09 |
| square yard | 1 mi² = 3,097,600 yd² | × 3,097,600 |
| are | 1 mi² = 25,899.88110336 a | × 25,899.88110336 |