Miles and Kilometres on the Road
One international mile equals exactly 1.609344 kilometres — defined since 1959 through the metre and yard standards. The mile originated in Roman times as mille passuum ('thousand paces'), where a pace was two steps totalling about 5 feet. The UK and USA are the only major countries still using miles for road distances; Canada officially uses kilometres but retains informal mile usage near the US border. The nautical mile (1.852 km) is a different unit used in aviation and navigation, equal to one arcminute of latitude.
Quick approximation: multiply miles by 1.6 for km (8% error using 1.6 instead of 1.609). More precisely, multiply by 1.609. The reverse: divide km by 1.609 (or multiply by 0.621). Marathon distance: 26.219 miles = 42.195 km.
Miles to Kilometres Reference
| Miles | Kilometres | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mi | 1.609 km | One mile |
| 5 mi | 8.047 km | Short run |
| 13.1 mi | 21.097 km | Half marathon |
| 26.2 mi | 42.195 km | Marathon |
| 60 mi | 96.56 km | ~1 hour driving (US) |
| 100 mi | 160.93 km | Long road trip |
| 238,855 mi | 384,400 km | Earth to Moon |
