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What is a century?

One hundred years — historical and cultural context

Definition

A century equals 100 Julian years. Used in historical, cultural and archaeological contexts. The 21st century covers 2001–2100 technically, though popular usage often treats 2000–2099 as the 21st.

Common uses

  • Historical period and era references
  • Long-term climate and geological trends
  • Cricket batting milestones (a "century" = 100 runs)

🌍 Real-world scale

The 20th century = 1901–2000. A century-old building. Modern human civilisation spans tens of centuries.

Convert from centuries

9 conversions
Century to Second1 c = 3,155,760,000 sCentury to Millisecond1 c = 3,155,760,000,000 msCentury to Minute1 c = 52,596,000 minCentury to Hour1 c = 876,600 hCentury to Day1 c = 36,525 dCentury to Week1 c = 5,217.86 wkCentury to Month1 c = 1,200.02 moCentury to Year1 c = 100 yrCentury to Decade1 c = 10 dec

Convert to centuries

9 conversions
Second to Century1 s = 3.1688e-10 cMillisecond to Century1 ms = 3.1688e-13 cMinute to Century1 min = 1.9013e-8 cHour to Century1 h = 1.1408e-6 cDay to Century1 d = 2.7379e-5 cWeek to Century1 wk = 0.0001916 cMonth to Century1 mo = 0.0008333 cYear to Century1 yr = 0.01 cDecade to Century1 dec = 0.1 c

Tips

  • 1 century = 100 years = 36,525 days.
  • Ordinal numbering: 21st century = 2001–2100 (strict), 2000–2099 (popular).
  • Rarely useful in engineering — years or decades are more practical.

Common mistakes

  • Writing 20th century when meaning 1900s — they overlap but differ in first/last year.
  • Treating century exactly as 100 × 365 days — ignores leap years.
  • Mixing calendar systems (Gregorian vs. Julian) across centuries — matters pre-1582.

FAQ about the century

What is a century?
A century equals 100 Julian years. Used in historical, cultural and archaeological contexts. The 21st century covers 2001–2100 technically, though popular usage often treats 2000–2099 as the 21st.
Where is the century used?
The century is commonly used for: Historical period and era references; Long-term climate and geological trends; Cricket batting milestones (a "century" = 100 runs).
What is an example of a century in real life?
The 20th century = 1901–2000. A century-old building. Modern human civilisation spans tens of centuries.
What category does the century belong to?
The century is a unit of time, part of the 10-unit time category on UnitConv.
How accurate are century conversions?
All conversion factors follow NIST and BIPM international standards to 8 significant figures — the highest practical accuracy.
Explore all 10 time units and their conversions.⏱️ Time hub →