The hectare, symbolized as “ha,” is a widely used metric unit for measuring land and plots worldwide. It was introduced in 1795, with the term “hectare” derived from the Latin words “area” and “hecto,” meaning one hundred.
One hectare equals 10,000 square meters or 2.471 acres in the British Imperial System. To provide a sense of scale, 100 hectares make up one square kilometer. For easier visualization, a hectare is roughly the size of a European football field.
Here are key conversions:
- 1 hectare = 2.47 acres
- 1 hectare = 10,000 square meters
- 1 hectare = 107,639 square feet
- 1 hectare = 11,959 square yards
- 1 hectare = 100 ares
The hectare originates from the metric prefix “hecto” and the base unit “are,” where one are equals 100 square meters. Although the are is a fundamental metric unit, the hectare has become more prevalent, especially in agriculture. It’s important to note that while both hectares and acres measure land area, hectares are part of the metric system, whereas acres are not.
Both units are frequently used in farming and land measurement worldwide. The hectare is not technically part of the International System of Units (SI), but it is the only named unit of area accepted for use with SI. The International Committee for Weights and Measures classifies it as a “non-SI unit accepted for use with SI.”
Countries where the hectare is commonly used include Australia, Burma, Canada, the European Union, India, the US, and the UK. The hectare also has equivalent units in different regions, such as the “manzana” in Argentina, “gong qing” in China, “jerib” in Iran, “bunder” in the Netherlands, and “djerib” in Turkey.
