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Convert Square miles to Square kilometres

1 square mile is 2.59 km². One square mile is exactly 2.58998811034 square kilometres.

One square mile is 2.5899881 square kilometres. To convert square miles to square kilometres, multiply by 2.5899881; to go the other way, divide by 2.5899881 or multiply by 0.38610216. The relation is exact but the figure is not: it is a rounding of a number that does not terminate, and it follows from NIST Office of Weights and Measures. Exactly 640 acres — one section of the US Public Land Survey, the grid the Midwest is drawn on.

Factor checked against the defining standard · How we check

Square kilometres
2.59 km²
Square miles × 2.5899881
1 * 2.58998812.59 km²

1 square mile in every area unit

1 square mile expressed in every area unit
UnitValueExact factor
square inches4,014,489,600 sq in× 4,014,489,600
square feet27,878,400 sq ft× 27,878,400
square yards3,097,600 sq yd× 3,097,600
acres640 ac× 640
square meters2,589,988.11 m²× 2,589,988.11034
square millimetres2,589,988,110,000 mm²× 2,589,988,110,340
square centimetres25,899,881,100 cm²× 25,899,881,103.4
square kilometres2.58998811 km²× 2.58998811034
square miles (as entered)1 mi²—
hectares258.998811 ha× 258.998811034

Factors are entered by hand from NIST Office of Weights and Measures rather than derived from a units library, so the ones that terminate are exact rather than rounded.

The same converter answers this pair however it is written: sqmi to sqkm is how the symbols are typed on a keyboard with no superscript on it.

How do you convert square miles to square kilometres? The converter and the working

  1. 1.Take the measurement in square miles.
  2. 2.Multiply by 2.5899881 — that is how many square kilometres fit in one square mile.
  3. 3.To go back the other way, divide by 2.5899881, or multiply by 0.38610216.

Worked example: 25 square miles to square kilometres

Formula
mi² × 2.5899881 = km²
Arithmetic
25 × 2.5899881 = 64.75 km²
Answer
25 mi² = 64.75 km²

The factor is rounded for display; the figure above is computed from the full value.

Square miles to square kilometres conversion table

Square miles to square kilometres conversion table
Square milesSquare kilometres
1 mi²2.59 km²
2 mi²5.18 km²
3 mi²7.77 km²
4 mi²10.36 km²
5 mi²12.95 km²
6 mi²15.54 km²
7 mi²18.13 km²
8 mi²20.72 km²
9 mi²23.31 km²
10 mi²25.9 km²
12 mi²31.08 km²
15 mi²38.85 km²
20 mi²51.8 km²
25 mi²64.75 km²
50 mi²129.5 km²
100 mi²259 km²
200 mi²518 km²
300 mi²777 km²
500 mi²1,294.99 km²
1000 mi²2,589.99 km²
2000 mi²5,179.98 km²
5000 mi²12,949.94 km²
10000 mi²25,899.88 km²

What is a square mile?

Exactly 640 acres — one section of the US Public Land Survey, the grid the Midwest is drawn on. 2.59 square kilometres, and the reason a rural address is often "section 12".

What is a square kilometre?

A million square metres, or 100 hectares. The unit land area and population density are published in everywhere except the US.

How many square kilometres are in a square mile?

One square mile is 2.5899881 square kilometres. Going the other way, one square kilometre is 0.38610216 square miles. Both figures come from the same defined relation rather than from a measurement, which is why they are the same today as they were in 1959.

Every area unit here

The whole group — 10 units with their symbols and the size of each one in square meters — is on the conversion index, along with every pair it makes. The table above already gives each of them relative to a square mile.

Source: NIST Office of Weights and Measures — area units

Cite this page

APA
Rule Calculator. (2026). Convert Square miles to square kilometres. Rule Calculator. https://rulecalculators.com/convert/square-mile-to-square-kilometer
MLA
"Convert Square miles to square kilometres." Rule Calculator, August 16, 2026, https://rulecalculators.com/convert/square-mile-to-square-kilometer.
Chicago
Rule Calculator. "Convert Square miles to square kilometres." Rule Calculator. Last reviewed August 16, 2026. https://rulecalculators.com/convert/square-mile-to-square-kilometer.

The date is when the figures on this page were last checked against their source, not the day you opened it. Add your own access date if your style needs one.

Questions people actually ask

How many square kilometres are in a square mile?
2.5899881. A million square metres, or 100 hectares. The unit land area and population density are published in everywhere except the US.
How do I convert square kilometres back to square miles?
Divide by 2.5899881, or multiply by 0.38610216 — they are the same operation.

Other area conversions

Square kilometres to square miles — the same conversion the other way.

Calculators that work in area