Mile

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

	Main Article	Talk	Related Articles  [?]	Bibliography  [?]	External Links  [?]
	This is a draft article, under development and not meant to be cited but you can help to improve it. These unapproved articles are subject to a disclaimer. [edit intro]

See also: U.S. customary units

The mile is a unit of distance measure in the United States customary system of measures and in the Imperial System of Units. The mile, abbreviated mi., is 5280 feet long, or exactly 1609.344 m.

The mile derives originally from the Roman mille passuum, or "thousand paces". Countries and cultures influenced by the Romans have had a variety of measures called "mile" of similar lengths.

The mile is subdivided into 8 furlongs, a unit which has largely passed out of use except in horse-racing. The league was either 3 miles or 6 miles.

The mile most commonly referred to is the statute mile. There is also a nautical mile, originally defined as the distance of one minute of arc along a meridian, and now defined as 1852m exactly, about 6076.1155 feet.

The mile is used today in the United States and the United Kingdom. Both countries continue to use it in official capacities, especially in transport. In some other countries, such as Australia and the Republic of Ireland, the mile continues to be used unofficially by members of the general public.