Concept in Definition ABC

The mile is a Unit of length and as such allows us to account for the distance existing between two points, although it is not part of the Metric system.

It is a very old unit dating from the Ancient Rome and at that time it was equivalent to a distance that implied thousand steps, being understood as step to the advanced length by one foot when walking; this mile was 1,480 m, the single step represented about 74 cm., that is, it implied twice the current consideration.

As a consequence of this very remote use in time, the mile is one of the oldest units of length and also one of the first to be used in the West.

Meanwhile, the advent of the Metric System imposed the job of meter and its multiples, specially in Latin America. With exception of Anglo-Saxon countries that continue to use the traditional mile, the rest of the countries measure distances based on the meter.

There are several abbreviations to designate it, although the most widespread are: my, ml, m and M and the measure of an equivalent mile in meters is 1,609 m.

For its part, the nautical mile, also known as mile saturn, is widely used at the behest of the maritime and air navigation and its equivalent value in meters is 1.852. The use of this measure is accepted in the International system and except for some small variations, all countries use it in the same way.

Meanwhile, the surveying mile, used in the public land surveying system of the USA it implies 5,280 feet of surveying, which is equivalent to 1,609 m.

On the other hand, in the field of sport, is designated with the term from mile to that half distance test in which the traditional distance that implies the mile is covered.

And the expressionthrow miles is a very common expression used in the language current when you want to refer to the departure or the disappearance of someone. You better throw miles and not see you for several days, the disaster you made was tremendous!