mile

A mile is a unit of length used primarily in the United States customary and British imperial measurement systems. It is defined as 5,280 feet, which equals 1,760 yards or precisely 1,609.344 meters. The mile is distinct from the nautical mile, which is defined as exactly 1,852 meters and is used in maritime and aviation contexts.

Origins of the mile trace back to ancient measurement systems, with the term deriving from the Latin mille passus, or a thousand paces. Over time, various nations adopted their own mile lengths. In the modern era, the statute mile—the standard mile in the United States and the United Kingdom—was standardized in 1959, aligning several national mile definitions to a single value of 1,609.344 meters.

In everyday use, miles are most commonly encountered in road distance and speed limits in countries that employ the imperial or customary systems. Road signs in the United Kingdom and the United States typically display distances in miles, while speeds are shown in miles per hour. In scientific and most of the world, kilometers are preferred for expressing distance, reflecting widespread metrication.

The mile also exists as a track and field event, the mile run, which covers a distance of 1,609.344 meters. Subdivisions of the mile include the furlong (1/8 mile) and the yard (1/1760 of a mile).

See also: nautical mile, kilometer, metrication.