Convert Square Kilometers to Square Miles
Convert Square Kilometers to Square Miles instantly. 1 Square Kilometer (km²) equals 0.3861 Square Miles (mi²).
Square Kilometers to Square Miles conversion table
| Square Kilometers (km²) | Square Miles (mi²) |
|---|---|
| 1 km² | 0.3861 mi² |
| 2 km² | 0.7722 mi² |
| 3 km² | 1.1583 mi² |
| 5 km² | 1.9305 mi² |
| 10 km² | 3.861 mi² |
| 20 km² | 7.722 mi² |
| 50 km² | 19.3051 mi² |
| 100 km² | 38.6102 mi² |
| 500 km² | 193.0511 mi² |
| 1,000 km² | 386.1022 mi² |
1 Square Kilometer = 0.3861 Square Miles · multiply Square Kilometers by 0.3861
About converting Square Kilometers to Square Miles
Square Kilometers (km²) and Square Miles (mi²) are both units of area, so converting between them is a single multiplication: multiply your Square Kilometers figure by 0.3861. Ten Square Kilometers comes to 3.861 Square Miles, and a hundred works out at 38.6102 Square Miles.
Rule of thumb: going from Square Kilometers to Square Miles divides, so the figure always shrinks — it takes about 2.59 Square Kilometers to make a single Square Mile. If your answer came out bigger, you have the conversion the wrong way round.
What is a Square Kilometer?
A square kilometer is the area of a square one kilometer on a side, and it is how the world reports anything from the size of a town upward: city footprints, lakes, national parks, forest lost to fire, the areas of countries. Its classic trap is that the prefix is squared along with the unit — both sides of the square grow by a thousand, so the area grows by that factor twice over, and people who expect a simple thousand-fold jump land three orders of magnitude out. The same squaring is why a map at twice the scale covers four times the ground.
What is a Square Mile?
A square mile is the area of a square one mile on a side, and in the United States it is the standard way to state the size of anything large: counties, states, metropolitan areas, wildfires and watersheds are all reported in square miles, along with population density in people per square mile. Elsewhere the same figure is given in square kilometers, which is why one lake can carry two very different-looking numbers depending on the source. The unit is literally built into the American landscape — the Public Land Survey System carved much of the country into square-mile sections, which is why the Midwest is a grid of mile-spaced roads.
To put both in perspective: Central Park in New York is about 3.4 square kilometers, while Manhattan is roughly 23 square miles.
The converter above updates as you type, and the table lists common values for quick reference. Need the opposite direction? Use the Square Miles to Square Kilometers converter, or browse all Area converters.
Frequently asked questions
How many Square Miles are in one Square Kilometer?
There are 0.3861 Square Miles in one Square Kilometer.
How do I convert Square Kilometers to Square Miles?
Multiply the number of Square Kilometers by 0.3861. For example, 10 Square Kilometers = 3.861 Square Miles.
What is 100 Square Kilometers in Square Miles?
100 Square Kilometers is equal to 38.6102 Square Miles.
How do I convert Square Miles to Square Kilometers?
Multiply the Square Miles value by 2.59 (or divide by 0.3861).
Is this Square Kilometers to Square Miles conversion exact?
The definition is exact — Square Kilometers and Square Miles are both fixed against the same base by international agreement — but the decimal shown here is rounded for readability, because the true ratio does not terminate. For engineering or scientific work, carry more decimal places than this page displays.
What is a Square Kilometer?
A square kilometer is the area of a square one kilometer on a side, and it is how the world reports anything from the size of a town upward: city footprints, lakes, national parks, forest lost to fire, the areas of countries. Its classic trap is that the prefix is squared along with the unit — both sides of the square grow by a thousand, so the area grows by that factor twice over, and people who expect a simple thousand-fold jump land three orders of magnitude out. The same squaring is why a map at twice the scale covers four times the ground.
What is a Square Mile?
A square mile is the area of a square one mile on a side, and in the United States it is the standard way to state the size of anything large: counties, states, metropolitan areas, wildfires and watersheds are all reported in square miles, along with population density in people per square mile. Elsewhere the same figure is given in square kilometers, which is why one lake can carry two very different-looking numbers depending on the source. The unit is literally built into the American landscape — the Public Land Survey System carved much of the country into square-mile sections, which is why the Midwest is a grid of mile-spaced roads.