What Is Mile?
A mile is a unit for measuring distance on land. People use miles to say how far one place is from another, for example between towns, cities, or along roads.
Definition
In most countries that still use miles, one mile is defined as exactly 1.60934 kilometers. This standard definition is used so that measurements are the same everywhere.
In the United States and other countries that use miles, one mile is also defined as exactly 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards.
History / Origin
The word mile comes from the Latin words mille passus, which mean one thousand steps. Long ago in ancient Rome, soldiers counted their marching steps. One Roman mile was the distance of one thousand double steps of a marching soldier.
Over time, different places used slightly different miles. For example, there were Roman miles and old English miles that were not all the same length. To avoid confusion, countries later agreed on a fixed length for the modern mile. The international mile used today was formally set in the 20th century by matching it exactly to 1.609344 kilometers, which is now rounded in daily use to 1.60934 kilometers.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The common abbreviations for mile are:
- mi for mile or miles, for example 10 mi
- Sometimes just the word mile or miles is written in full
Do not confuse mi for mile with mm for millimeter or m for meter, which are different metric units.
Current Use Around the World
The mile is not part of the official metric system, but it is still used in several places around the world.
Common places where miles are used:
- United States road signs, speed limits, maps, running races, and travel distances often use miles.
- United Kingdom road signs and speed limits use miles, even though many other things there use metric units.
- Canada and Ireland mostly use kilometers now, but some older people still talk about distances in miles in everyday speech.
- Marathons and races all over the world sometimes use miles, such as a 26.2 mile marathon, along with kilometers.
In science, engineering, and most countries, kilometers and meters are preferred. However, many people are still more comfortable with miles for long road distances.
Example Conversions
Here are some simple conversions between miles and other units. For easy math we use rounded numbers that are close to the exact values.
- 1 mile is about 1.61 kilometers
- 1 mile is 1,609 meters
- 1 mile is 1,760 yards
- 1 mile is 5,280 feet
From miles to kilometers
- 1 mile ≈ 1.61 km
- 5 miles ≈ 8.05 km
- 10 miles ≈ 16.09 km
- 50 miles ≈ 80.47 km
- 100 miles ≈ 160.93 km
From kilometers to miles
To change kilometers to miles, you can divide by about 1.61.
- 1 km ≈ 0.62 miles
- 5 km ≈ 3.11 miles
- 10 km ≈ 6.21 miles
- 42.2 km marathon ≈ 26.2 miles
From miles to feet
- 1 mile = 5,280 feet
- 2 miles = 10,560 feet
- 0.5 mile = 2,640 feet
Related Units
These units are closely related to the mile or are used for similar kinds of distance measurements.
- Kilometer km the main metric unit for long distances on land, commonly used on road signs outside the United States and United Kingdom
- Meter m the basic metric unit of length
- Foot ft a smaller non metric unit, 5,280 of these make one mile
- Yard yd another non metric unit, 1,760 yards make one mile
- Nautical mile used in air and sea travel, for example in shipping and aviation, and is based on the Earth and latitude lines
FAQs
Is mile a metric unit
No, the mile is not a metric unit. The metric system uses meters and kilometers instead. The mile is part of older systems such as the imperial and US customary systems.
Which is longer, a mile or a kilometer
A mile is longer than a kilometer. One mile is about 1.61 kilometers. This means if you walk one mile, you have gone farther than one kilometer.
How do I quickly change miles to kilometers in my head
A simple trick is to multiply miles by 1.5 and then add a little more. For example, for 10 miles, 10 × 1.5 = 15, then add 1. So about 16 kilometers.
Why do some countries still use miles
Some countries keep using miles because people are used to them and their road systems and speed signs were built with miles. Changing everything to kilometers would take time and money.
What is a good walking speed in miles per hour
A normal walking speed for many people is about 3 to 4 miles per hour. This means it would take around 15 to 20 minutes to walk one mile at a steady pace.
How many laps around a standard track make one mile
A standard outdoor running track is 400 meters long. One mile is about 1,609 meters. So one mile is a little more than 4 laps. It is about 4 laps plus 9 extra meters.
