Convert Square Rod (rod²) to Square Kilometer (km²) instantly.
About these units
Square Rod (rod²)
A square rod, also known as a perch or pole in some traditions, equals the area of a square one rod on each side (1 rod = 16.5 feet). This results in 272.25 square feet. Square rods were widely used in medieval English farming and early American surveying to measure garden plots, small fields, and building sites. Because land taxes were often assessed per rod, the unit became a practical economic tool as well. Though no longer widely used, the square rod appears in historical deeds and archival surveys, making it critical for land historians and legal property research.
Square Kilometer (km²)
A square kilometer equals one million square meters and is the standard unit for expressing large land areas, especially in geography, ecology, national planning, and environmental science. Countries, cities, national parks, forests, wetlands, and even ocean surface regions are frequently described in km². Because it provides a manageable scale for features too large for hectares or acres, it is widely used in atlases, scientific papers, and government reports. The square kilometer also plays a major role in ecology, where species ranges, habitat fragmentation, and conservation zones are measured using this unit. In geopolitics, km² help define national borders and territorial claims, making it a powerful instrument of scientific and political discourse.