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km²
Areametricscientific

What is a square kilometer?

Used for city, region and country areas — 100 hectares

Definition

The square kilometre equals 1,000,000 m² or 100 hectares. It is used for city, region and country areas. Greater London is about 1572 km². The smallest sovereign countries (Monaco, Vatican City) are under 3 km² each.

Common uses

  • Country and city geographic area reporting
  • National-park and protected-area sizes
  • Large-scale environmental studies (deforestation, etc.)

🌍 Real-world scale

Greater London is 1572 km². France is 643,801 km². The Serengeti National Park is 14,763 km².

Convert from square kilometers

11 conversions
Square Kilometer to Square Meter1 km² = 1,000,000 m²Square Kilometer to Square Centimeter1 km² = 10,000,000,000 cm²Square Kilometer to Square Millimeter1 km² = 1,000,000,000,000 mm²Square Kilometer to Hectare1 km² = 100 haSquare Kilometer to Acre1 km² = 247.105 acSquare Kilometer to Square Foot1 km² = 10,763,910.42 ft²Square Kilometer to Square Inch1 km² = 1,550,003,100.01 in²Square Kilometer to Square Yard1 km² = 1,195,990.05 yd²Square Kilometer to Square Mile1 km² = 0.3861 mi²Square Kilometer to Rai1 km² = 625 raiSquare Kilometer to Dunam1 km² = 1,000 dunam

Convert to square kilometers

11 conversions
Square Meter to Square Kilometer1 m² = 1.0000e-6 km²Square Centimeter to Square Kilometer1 cm² = 1.0000e-10 km²Square Millimeter to Square Kilometer1 mm² = 1.0000e-12 km²Hectare to Square Kilometer1 ha = 0.01 km²Acre to Square Kilometer1 ac = 0.004047 km²Square Foot to Square Kilometer1 ft² = 9.2903e-8 km²Square Inch to Square Kilometer1 in² = 6.4516e-10 km²Square Yard to Square Kilometer1 yd² = 8.3613e-7 km²Square Mile to Square Kilometer1 mi² = 2.58999 km²Rai to Square Kilometer1 rai = 0.0016 km²Dunam to Square Kilometer1 dunam = 0.001 km²

Tips

  • 1 km² = 100 hectares = 1,000,000 m².
  • 1 km² = 0.386 square miles.
  • Multiply km × km in metric to get km² — but always keep consistent units.

Common mistakes

  • Mixing km² and km when comparing geography — 10 km is a length, 10 km² is an area.
  • Confusing km² with the square mile (mi²) in international comparisons.
  • Reading "million km²" as "km²" on continental-scale maps — factor of 10⁶.

FAQ about the square kilometer

What is a square kilometer?
The square kilometre equals 1,000,000 m² or 100 hectares. It is used for city, region and country areas. Greater London is about 1572 km². The smallest sovereign countries (Monaco, Vatican City) are under 3 km² each.
Where is the square kilometer used?
The square kilometer is commonly used for: Country and city geographic area reporting; National-park and protected-area sizes; Large-scale environmental studies (deforestation, etc.).
What is an example of a square kilometer in real life?
Greater London is 1572 km². France is 643,801 km². The Serengeti National Park is 14,763 km².
What category does the square kilometer belong to?
The square kilometer is a unit of area, part of the 12-unit area category on UnitConv.
How accurate are square kilometer conversions?
All conversion factors follow NIST and BIPM international standards to 8 significant figures — the highest practical accuracy.
Explore all 12 area units and their conversions.🗺️ Area hub →