What Is Cuerda?
A cuerda is a unit used to measure land area. It is common in Puerto Rico and in some other places in the Caribbean. One cuerda is almost the same size as one acre but a little smaller. People use cuerdas to talk about the size of farms, fields, and pieces of land.
Definition
In Puerto Rico law, one cuerda is defined as exactly 3,930.395625 square meters.
In simple rounded numbers:
- 1 cuerda is about 3,930 square meters
- 1 cuerda is about 42,300 square feet
- 1 cuerda is about 0.97 acre
- 1 cuerda is about 0.39 hectare
The cuerda is not an SI unit like the square meter. It is a local unit that is still very important for land and real estate in Puerto Rico.
History / Origin
The word cuerda in Spanish means rope. Long ago, people used real ropes of fixed length to measure land. Surveyors would stretch a rope along the ground again and again to mark out fields. Over time, the area that matched a certain set of rope lengths became a standard land size. This standard area later became known as a cuerda.
During Spanish rule in the Caribbean, many land units were based on old Spanish customs. The Puerto Rican cuerda slowly became more fixed and clear in size. In the 1900s, the government set an exact value in square meters so that maps, deeds, and legal papers would all match.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The cuerda is often written with these short forms:
- cda
- cda.
Examples:
- 3 cuerdas can be written as 3 cda
- 10 cuerdas can be written as 10 cda.
There is no special math symbol for the cuerda. People simply write the number followed by cda or the word cuerda or cuerdas.
Current Use Around the World
The cuerda is mainly used in:
- Puerto Rico for farms, building lots, and legal land records
- Some nearby islands and Spanish speaking areas, usually in older or local land deals
In Puerto Rico you will see cuerdas used in:
- Real estate ads for houses and land
- Farm size and crop planning
- Government maps and land surveys
- Property tax and land sale documents
Outside of these places, people more often use acres or hectares. When land in Puerto Rico is described for people in the United States or in other countries, the size is often shown in both cuerdas and acres or hectares.
Example Conversions
Use these rounded values for easy math:
- 1 cuerda ≈ 3,930 square meters
- 1 cuerda ≈ 42,300 square feet
- 1 cuerda ≈ 0.97 acre
- 1 cuerda ≈ 0.39 hectare
Cuerdas to acres
- 1 cuerda ≈ 0.97 acre
- 5 cuerdas ≈ 4.85 acres
- 10 cuerdas ≈ 9.7 acres
Cuerdas to hectares
- 1 cuerda ≈ 0.39 hectare
- 5 cuerdas ≈ 1.95 hectares
- 20 cuerdas ≈ 7.8 hectares
Cuerdas to square meters
- 1 cuerda ≈ 3,930 m²
- 2 cuerdas ≈ 7,860 m²
- 8 cuerdas ≈ 31,440 m²
Acres to cuerdas using 1 acre ≈ 1.03 cuerdas
- 1 acre ≈ 1.03 cuerdas
- 5 acres ≈ 5.15 cuerdas
- 10 acres ≈ 10.3 cuerdas
Related Units
Units that are often used together with or instead of cuerdas include:
- Acre a common land area unit in the United States and some other countries. 1 acre is about 4,047 square meters. 1 cuerda is slightly smaller than 1 acre.
- Hectare an area unit in the metric system used worldwide for land. 1 hectare is 10,000 square meters. 1 cuerda is about 0.39 hectare.
- Square meter (m²) the basic SI unit of area. 1 cuerda is exactly 3,930.395625 m² in Puerto Rico law.
- Square foot (ft²) an imperial area unit used for buildings and small plots. 1 cuerda is about 42,300 ft².
FAQs
What is a cuerda in simple words
A cuerda is a local land area unit used mostly in Puerto Rico. It tells you how big a piece of land is, almost like saying an acre.
Is a cuerda the same as an acre
No. A cuerda is a bit smaller than an acre. 1 cuerda is about 0.97 acre. For quick guessing you can think of 1 cuerda as about 1 acre, but they are not exactly equal.
How big is 1 cuerda in square meters
By law in Puerto Rico, 1 cuerda is 3,930.395625 square meters. In simple terms you can say about 3,930 square meters.
Why does Puerto Rico still use cuerdas
The cuerda is part of local history and land laws. Land records, farm sizes, and property deals have used cuerdas for a long time. Because of this, it is still very common and useful there.
Can I use cuerdas in science or engineering
In science and engineering people usually use square meters or hectares, not cuerdas. If you see land in cuerdas you can convert it to square meters to use in scientific work.
How can I quickly convert cuerdas to acres in my head
A handy trick is to treat 1 cuerda as about 1 acre. If you need a better answer, multiply cuerdas by 0.97. For example, 10 cuerdas × 0.97 ≈ 9.7 acres.
Is the size of a cuerda the same in every country
The best known and clearly defined cuerda is the Puerto Rican one, which has the fixed value of 3,930.395625 square meters. In other places the word may appear in old records and the size might not always match this exact value, so it is important to check the local definition.
