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A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. [2] [3] [4] Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( 1 / 60 of a degree) of latitude at the equator, so that Earth's polar circumference is very near to 21,600 nautical miles (that is 60 minutes × 360 degrees).
From 1630 to 1718 a millia was 5,564 feet (1,696 metres), making a geographical league of four millias equal 22,256 feet (6,784 m or 3.663 modern nautical miles). But from 1718 through the 1830s the millia was defined as the equivalent of just over 5,210 feet, giving a shorter geographical league of just over 20,842 feet (6,353 m or 3.430 ...
In the United States, the term statute mile formally refers to the survey mile, [3] but for most purposes, the difference of less than 1 ⁄ 8 inch (3.2 mm) between the survey mile and the international mile (1609.344 metres exactly) is insignificant—one international mile is 0.999 998 US survey miles—so statute mile can be used for either.
At sea level one minute of arc along the equator equals exactly one geographical mile (not to be confused with international mile or statute mile) along the Earth's equator or approximately one nautical mile (1,852 metres; 1.151 miles). [14] A second of arc, one sixtieth of this amount, is roughly 30 metres (98 feet).
20 meters – length of cricket pitch (22 yards) [126] 27.43 meters – distance between bases on a baseball field (90 feet) 28 meters – length of a standard FIBA basketball court; 28.65 meters – length of an NBA basketball court (94 feet) 49 meters – width of an American football field (53 1 ⁄ 3 yards) 59.436 meters – width of a ...
The chain (abbreviated ch) is a unit of length equal to 66 feet (22 yards), used in both the US customary and Imperial unit systems. It is subdivided into 100 links. [1] [2] There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile. [2] In metric terms, it is 20.1168 m long. [2]
The term, yard derives from the Old English gerd, gyrd etc., which was used for branches, staves and measuring rods. [5] It is first attested in the late 7th century laws of Ine of Wessex, [6] where the "yard of land" mentioned [6] is the yardland, an old English unit of tax assessment equal to 1 ⁄ 4 hide.
A cable length or length of cable is a nautical unit of measure equal to one tenth of a nautical mile or approximately 100 fathoms.Owing to anachronisms and varying techniques of measurement, a cable length can be anywhere from 169 to 220 metres (185 to 241 yd), depending on the standard used.