How to calculate square kilometers
The square kilometer (km²) is an internationally accepted unit of area, often used to measure the area of land, national territory or large geographical areas. Calculating square kilometers requires mastering basic mathematical formulas and unit conversion methods. This article will introduce in detail how to calculate square kilometers, and combine it with the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days to help readers better understand this concept.
1. Basic concepts of square kilometers

The square kilometer is a metric unit of area and represents the area of a square with a side of 1 kilometer. 1 square kilometer equals 1,000,000 square meters (i.e. 1km² = 1,000,000m²). The following is a common area unit conversion table:
| unit | Convert to square kilometers |
|---|---|
| 1 square meter (m²) | 0.000001 km² |
| 1 hectare (ha) | 0.01 km² |
| 1 square mile (mi²) | 2.58999 km² |
| 1 acre | 0.004047 km² |
2. How to calculate square kilometers
The method of calculating square kilometers depends on the known form of the data. The following are calculation methods for several common scenarios:
1. Known length and width (in kilometers)
If the length and width of the area are known and the units are already in kilometers, use the formula directly:
Area (km²) = length (km) × width (km)
2. Known length and width (unit: meters)
If the length and width are in meters, they need to be converted to kilometers first and then calculated:
Area (km²) = [Length (m) ÷ 1000] × [Width (m) ÷ 1000]
3. Calculation of irregular areas
For irregular areas, you can divide them into multiple regular shapes (such as rectangles and triangles), calculate the areas separately and then add them together. Professional tools (such as GIS software) can also be used for measurement.
3. Hot topics on the Internet in the past 10 days and cases related to square kilometers
The following are actual cases related to square kilometers in recent hot topics:
| hot topics | Area data involved | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon rainforest deforestation | 7500 km² (cleared area in 2023) | The latest data released by environmental groups show that the rate of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest has accelerated. |
| Hangzhou Asian Games Venue Construction | 8.2 km² (main venue area) | The main venue of the Hangzhou Asian Games has become a hotly discussed infrastructure project recently. |
| Reconstruction of earthquake-stricken areas in Türkiye | 350 km² (disaster core area) | Calculation of earthquake-stricken area provides basis for reconstruction planning. |
4. Practical application of square kilometers calculation
1.urban planning: Indicators such as total urban area and green space coverage are often measured in square kilometers.
2.agricultural land management: Statistics and planning of farmland and pasture area.
3.environmental protection: Monitoring of nature reserves and forest coverage area.
4.disaster assessment: Calculation of the impact scope of floods, earthquakes and other disasters.
5. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the difference between square kilometers and hectares?
A: 1 square kilometer = 100 hectares. Hectares are more commonly used in agriculture and forestry, while square kilometers apply to larger areas.
Q: How to quickly estimate the square kilometers of an area?
A: You can use the measurement function of online map tools (such as Google Earth), or refer to the officially published administrative division area data.
6. Summary
Knowing how to calculate square kilometers is critical to understanding scale in geography, the environment, the economy, and more. Through the formulas, cases and conversion tables provided in this article, readers can easily complete the calculation of square kilometers and apply it to the analysis of practical problems.
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