Hectare to Square Meter Converter

A hectare (ha) is a metric unit of area equal to 10,000 square meters or 0.01 square kilometers. It represents the area of a square with 100-meter sides, making it convenient for measuring medium to large land areas.

The hectare was introduced in 1795 as part of the original metric system during the French Revolution. The name comes from the Greek 'hekaton' meaning 'hundred' and the Latin 'area'. It was designed to provide a practical unit for agricultural and land measurement, filling the gap between square meters and square kilometers.

Hectares are extensively used in agriculture, forestry, real estate, and land management worldwide. They're the standard unit for farm sizes, forest areas, park measurements, and land development projects. Most countries use hectares for official land area measurements and agricultural statistics.

A square meter (m²) is the SI base unit of area, equal to the area of a square with sides of one meter each. It serves as the fundamental unit from which all other metric area measurements are derived.

The square meter was established alongside the meter during the French Revolution in 1795 as part of the metric system. As the meter became the base unit of length, its square naturally became the base unit of area. It was officially adopted as part of the International System of Units (SI) in 1960.

Square meters are universally used for measuring floor areas, room sizes, small properties, construction materials, and in scientific applications. They're standard in architecture, construction, real estate listings, and manufacturing. Most building codes and construction specifications use square meters.