mijl

Mijl is the Dutch word for mile, a unit of length that is commonly associated with the distance measures used in English-speaking countries. In modern Dutch usage, a mijl typically refers to the international mile, which is exactly 1,609.344 meters (about 1.609 kilometers).

The term shares its etymology with the English word mile. It derives from Old Dutch mil, related to the English mile, and ultimately traces back to Latin mille passus, meaning “a thousand paces.” Historically, the word in Dutch could denote several different mile definitions before standardization, and regional usage sometimes varied.

In contemporary contexts, the Netherlands and Flanders primarily use the metric system, with road distances shown in kilometers. The word mijl is now mostly encountered in historical texts, literature, or certain regional expressions. For navigational or maritime contexts, Dutch distinguishes nautical distances with the term zeemijl (nautical mile), which is defined as 1,852 meters. Aviation and shipping contexts may likewise reference zeemijl rather than land miles.

Conversions and relationships to other units are straightforward: 1 mijl = 1.609344 kilometers, and 1 kilometer = 0.621371 mijl. The nautical mile (zeemijl) is a separate unit equal to 1.852 kilometers, commonly used in maritime and aerial navigation.

Overall, mijl remains a historical and linguistic term in Dutch, more often seen in historical references or cross-cultural discussions than in everyday measurement, where kilometers prevail.