Convert Square Perch (perch²) to Arpent (arpent (area)) instantly.
About these units
Square Perch (perch²)
A square perch is equivalent to a square rod, as "perch" was another historical name for a rod, used in various medieval and regional English measurement systems. Perches commonly appeared in church records, tithing assessments, and agricultural inventories. Because the perch was both a length and an area unit, it played dual roles in land taxation and construction. These overlapping terminologies—rod, pole, perch—reflect the organic evolution of measurement in medieval Europe, long before unified systems took hold.
Arpent (arpent (area))
The arpent is a historical French land-measurement unit whose exact value varied across regions but is commonly taken as about 0.34 hectares, or roughly 3,400 square meters. The arpent was widely used in France before the metric system and carried over into French colonial territories, especially Louisiana, Quebec, and the Caribbean. In North America, the arpent became intertwined with colonial land grants, settlement patterns, and agricultural design. Properties in Louisiana often follow long, narrow "ribbon farms" extending from riverbanks, measured in arpents of frontage width. This arrangement maximized river access for transportation and irrigation, producing a unique landscape still visible today. Because of its regional variation, historians and land-survey experts must interpret arpents within local context. In Louisiana, an arpent is typically standardized to 0.84628 acres for legal purposes, but French historical documents may use values closer to half a hectare. The arpent thus reflects not only agricultural needs but also the administrative and cultural imprint of French colonization on North American geography.