The square mile (abbreviated as sq mi and sometimes as mi2) is an imperial and US unit of measure for an area equal to the area of a square of one statute mile. It should not be confused with miles square, which refers to the number of miles on each side squared. For instance, 20 miles square (20 × 20 miles) is equal to 400 square miles.
One square mile is equivalent to:
- 4,014,489,600 square inches
- 27,878,400 square feet
- 3,097,600 square yards
- 640 acres
- 258.9988110336 hectares
- 2560 roods
- 25,899,881,103.36 square centimetres
- 2,589,988.110336 square metres
- 2.589988110336 square kilometres
When applied to a portion of the earth's surface, which is curved rather than flat, "square mile" is an informal synonym for section.
Famous quotes containing the words square and/or mile:
“Mark you the floore? that square & speckled stone,
Which looks so firm and strong,
Is Patience:”
—George Herbert (1593–1633)
“It was a tangled and perplexing thicket, through which we stumbled and threaded our way, and when we had finished a mile of it, our starting-point seemed far away. We were glad that we had not got to walk to Bangor along the banks of this river, which would be a journey of more than a hundred miles. Think of the denseness of the forest, the fallen trees and rocks, the windings of the river, the streams emptying in, and the frequent swamps to be crossed. It made you shudder.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)