km2

km2 is the symbol for the square kilometer, an SI-derived unit of area. It denotes the area of a square with each side measuring one kilometer. One km2 equals 1,000,000 square meters, since 1 kilometer is 1,000 meters and squaring gives 1,000,000. The square kilometer is commonly used to express medium to large land areas such as cities, regions, and countries.

In terms of other units, 1 km2 equals 100 hectares (because a hectare is 10,000 m2). It is also approximately 247.105 acres and about 0.386102 square miles. The km2 unit appears frequently in geography, urban planning, environmental science, and cartography, and is a standard in many GIS datasets and maps.

The term is derived from kilometer and the concept of a square, and the official symbol is km2 (some style guides also use the superscript form km²). It is part of the metric system and is well suited for expressing spatial extents on maps and in statistical reporting. For smaller areas, square meters (m2) are used, while larger areas may be described in hectares, square miles, or other larger-area units depending on regional conventions. km2 provides a concise, consistent way to convey the size of geographic areas in scientific and administrative contexts.