Mile Measurements.......

[Wynand N]

Hi everyone

Does anyone knows why a nautical mile is not the same distance as a land (statute) mile

Nautical mile = 1.1515 statute miles or 1,8531 meters
Statute mile = 0.8685 nautical mile or 1,609.3 meters

[Dutch Peter]

I guess because the nautical mile is related to the periphery of the earth
(periphery earth/(360 degrees*60minutes) = 1 minute = 1 nautical mile)

and the statute mile is related to a humans foot, or evensmaller a man's thumb
(inch*12 = 1 foot*3 = 1 yard*1760 = 1 statute mile)