How to convert square miles to square kilometers
- Take the value in square miles.
- Use the formula square kilometers = square miles × 2.58998811.
- For example, 1 mi² is 2.59 km².
About square miles and square kilometers
A square mile is a square 1 mile (1,609.344 m) on each side, so it equals 1.609344² = 2.589988 square kilometers. Multiply square miles by 2.59 to get km². For a quick estimate multiply by 2.6, which is about 0.4% high.
US and UK sources give the size of states, counties, cities, lakes and wildfires in square miles, while most of the world and most maps use km². A square mile is also 640 acres, the unit behind the US land survey grid of sections and townships.
Examples
- 1 mi² (a US survey section of 640 acres) is 2.59 km²
- 36 mi² (a US survey township, 6 by 6 miles) is 93.24 km²
- 100 mi² (the original District of Columbia, a 10-mile square) is 259 km²
- 268,596 mi² (the state of Texas) is 695,660.45 km²
Square miles to square kilometers chart
| Square miles (mi²) | Square kilometers (km²) |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 0.259 |
| 0.25 | 0.647 |
| 0.5 | 1.29 |
| 1 | 2.59 |
| 2 | 5.18 |
| 3 | 7.77 |
| 5 | 12.95 |
| 10 | 25.9 |
| 15 | 38.85 |
| 20 | 51.8 |
| 25 | 64.75 |
| 36 | 93.24 |
| Square miles (mi²) | Square kilometers (km²) |
|---|---|
| 50 | 129.5 |
| 75 | 194.25 |
| 100 | 259 |
| 200 | 518 |
| 250 | 647.5 |
| 500 | 1,294.99 |
| 1,000 | 2,589.99 |
| 2,000 | 5,179.98 |
| 5,000 | 12,949.94 |
| 10,000 | 25,899.88 |
| 50,000 | 129,499.41 |
| 100,000 | 258,998.81 |