Hectare facts for kids

Trafalgar Square has an area of about one hectare.

A hectare is a special unit of measurement that helps us measure how big an area of land is. Think of it like a giant square! One hectare is the same size as a square that is 100 metres long on each side. That's a lot of space, equal to 10,000 square metres.

People often use hectares to measure large pieces of land, like farms, parks, or forests. It helps them understand the size of these areas easily.

What is a Hectare?

A hectare is a way to measure the size of land. It is part of the metric system, which is used by most countries around the world. Imagine a square field that is 100 metres wide and 100 metres long. The total area of that field would be one hectare.

To give you an idea of how big that is:

• It's about the size of two and a half soccer fields.
• It's also similar to the size of Trafalgar Square in London, which is a famous public space.

When you have 100 hectares, that equals one square kilometre. So, if a farmer has a field that is 200 hectares, it means their field is 2 square kilometres in size.

Where Does the Word "Hectare" Come From?

The word hectare has an interesting meaning. It comes from two parts:

• The first part, hecto-, is a prefix that means 100. You might have heard of a "hectolitre" (100 litres) or a "hectogram" (100 grams).
• The second part, are, is another metric unit of area. One are is equal to 100 square metres.

So, when you put them together, hectare literally means "100 ares." This shows how the metric system uses prefixes to make larger or smaller units from a basic one.

How Hectares Are Used

Hectares are very useful for measuring land, especially in these situations:

• Farming: Farmers use hectares to talk about the size of their fields. This helps them plan how much to plant and how much water or fertilizer they will need.
• Real Estate: When land is bought or sold, especially large plots, its size is often given in hectares.
• Forestry: People who manage forests use hectares to measure areas for planting new trees or for harvesting wood.
• Environmental Studies: Scientists use hectares to measure the size of natural habitats, parks, or areas affected by things like wildfires.

Hectares Around the World

While the hectare is widely used in most countries that use the metric system, some countries, like the United States, still commonly use other units for land area. In the U.S., people often use acres. One hectare is roughly equal to 2.47 acres. This means a hectare is almost two and a half times bigger than an acre.

Understanding hectares helps us compare land sizes globally and makes it easier to talk about large areas of land in a standard way.

See also

In Spanish: Hectárea para niños