The Acre

An acre is a unit of area commonly used in land measurement. It is defined as the area of 43,560 square feet. The acre is not a metric unit and is primarily used in countries historically influenced by the British system of measurement, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and some Commonwealth countries.

The origin of the acre is historical, representing the amount of land that a yoke of oxen could plow in a single day. This explains why its dimensions are not a simple square. While the total area is fixed, the shape of an acre can vary.

Key Conversions:

• 1 acre = 43,560 square feet
• 1 acre = 4,840 square yards
• 1 acre = 0.404686 hectares
• 640 acres = 1 square mile

Usage:

The acre is used primarily for measuring parcels of land, especially in rural and agricultural contexts. It is commonly used in real estate transactions, agricultural planning, and land surveying. While metric units are increasingly used for land measurement globally, the acre remains a standard unit in specific regions due to established practices and legal requirements.