Square Mile to Hectare Converter

A square mile (mi²) is a unit of area equal to the area of a square with sides of one mile each. It equals 640 acres or approximately 2.59 square kilometers, making it suitable for measuring large geographical areas.

The square mile developed from the English mile, which was standardized in 1593. As territorial expansion and land surveying became important in English-speaking countries, particularly in North America, the square mile became a standard unit for measuring large land areas and territories.

Square miles are primarily used in the United States and United Kingdom for measuring counties, states, large properties, and geographical features. They're standard in American atlases, real estate for large properties, and government land management. Many US states report their area in square miles.

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.