Introduction: Why Land Units Vary From Country to Country

There is no single universal unit for measuring land. Every region on earth developed its own system based on local agriculture, colonial history, and legal tradition. A farmer in Thailand measures in rai, a landowner in Egypt counts feddans, a real estate agent in South Korea quotes pyeong, and a rancher in Texas thinks in acres. These units are not interchangeable, and their definitions are not always obvious -- a bigha in Uttar Pradesh is nearly three times larger than a bigha in Himachal Pradesh.

This matters whenever land crosses a border -- literally or figuratively. International property purchases, foreign agricultural investment, development aid programs, immigration-related land documentation, and multinational farming operations all require translating between local units. Getting the conversion wrong can mean overpaying for a plot, misstating the size of a holding on a legal document, or miscalculating input costs for an entire growing season.

This guide is a country-by-country reference. It covers the unit (or units) actually used on the ground in each region, not just what appears in government statistics. Bookmark it, refer back to it, and use it alongside a tool that handles conversions automatically when you measure land area in the field.

Country-by-Country Reference

North America

United States: The acre is the dominant unit for agricultural land, rural property, and most real estate outside dense urban areas. One acre equals 4,046.86 sq m (0.4047 hectares). Residential lots in cities and suburbs are typically listed in square feet (1 acre = 43,560 sq ft). Large ranches and government land statistics sometimes use square miles (1 sq mi = 640 acres). The US has never officially adopted the metric system for land.

Canada: Canada uses both acres and hectares. Western provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) lean heavily toward acres in agricultural markets, reflecting historical ties to the US system. Official government records, environmental assessments, and Statistics Canada publications use hectares. Urban real estate is listed in square feet. In practice, a Canadian farmer will say "quarter section" (160 acres / 64.75 hectares) as naturally as they say hectares.

Mexico: Hectares are the standard unit for all land measurement. Agricultural land, ejido parcels, and real estate listings use hectares exclusively. Older historical references may mention the caballeria (approximately 42.6 hectares), but this unit is effectively extinct in modern usage. Urban residential properties are listed in square meters.

Central America and the Caribbean

Costa Rica: The manzana is the traditional unit, equal to 6,988 sq m (0.6988 hectares or about 1.727 acres). Agricultural land and rural property listings commonly use manzanas, though hectares appear in official records and larger transactions.

Nicaragua: Also uses the manzana, at approximately 7,026 sq m (slightly larger than the Costa Rican manzana). Rural land transactions, coffee farm listings, and cattle ranch sales all quote manzanas. Hectares are used in government land registries.

Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala: Hectares are the primary unit in official contexts. The manzana (varying between 6,988 and 7,026 sq m depending on local definition) persists in rural agricultural markets.

Puerto Rico: The cuerda is the standard land unit, equal to 3,930 sq m (0.393 hectares or 0.971 acres). Nearly identical to an acre, which simplifies conversions with the US mainland. All property listings, agricultural statistics, and land registry documents on the island use cuerdas.

Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, other Caribbean nations: Hectares are the standard. Cuba historically used the caballeria (13.42 hectares / 33.16 acres) for large sugar plantations, and the term still appears in informal conversation, but hectares dominate official records.

South America

Brazil: Hectares are the official unit, but the alqueire persists in rural markets and varies dramatically by state. In Sao Paulo, one alqueire paulista equals 24,200 sq m (2.42 hectares). In Minas Gerais, one alqueire mineiro equals 48,400 sq m (4.84 hectares). In the north and northeast, the alqueire do norte equals 27,225 sq m (2.72 hectares). Always confirm which alqueire is meant. Large ranches in Mato Grosso and Goias are measured in hectares.

Argentina: Hectares exclusively. Agricultural land in the Pampas, Patagonian ranches, and vineyard parcels in Mendoza are all measured in hectares. The word manzana exists but refers to a city block (roughly 1 hectare in Buenos Aires), not a standardized land unit.

Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Paraguay, Uruguay: Hectares are the universal standard across South America outside Brazil's alqueire regions. Urban property uses square meters.

Western Europe

United Kingdom: Acres remain the primary unit for agricultural land, rural estates, and property sales. One acre = 4,046.86 sq m. Residential property in cities is listed in square feet or square meters depending on the agent. Government agricultural statistics use hectares, but farmers and estate agents think in acres. The UK never fully metricated land measurement.

Ireland: Acres are standard for agricultural land, following the same convention as the UK. Hectares appear in EU-related documents and government agricultural schemes. Urban property is listed in square feet or square meters.

France: Hectares and square meters. All land transactions, agricultural statistics, and property listings use metric units. No traditional units survive in active use.

Germany: Hectares for agricultural and rural land, square meters for urban property. The historical morgen (roughly 2,500 sq m in northern Germany, varying by region) is completely obsolete.

Spain, Italy, Portugal: Hectares and square meters. Spain's historical fanega (approximately 6,460 sq m in Castile) occasionally appears in very old property deeds but is not used in modern transactions.

Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg: Hectares and square meters exclusively.

Greece: The stremma is still widely used alongside hectares. One stremma equals 1,000 sq m (0.1 hectares). Agricultural land, olive groves, and rural property listings throughout Greece and the Greek islands commonly use stremma. Ten stremma equal one hectare.

Eastern Europe

Poland: Hectares are standard. The historical morga (approximately 5,600 sq m) is obsolete. Agricultural subsidies under the EU Common Agricultural Policy are calculated in hectares.

Romania: Hectares. The historical pogon (approximately 5,012 sq m) no longer appears in modern records.

Hungary: Hectares officially. The hold (approximately 5,755 sq m, or 0.5755 hectares) appears in older rural contexts and informal conversation among older farmers, but all legal and commercial transactions use hectares.

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Ukraine, Russia: Hectares and square meters are the standard across all of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet states. Russia uses hectares for agricultural statistics and large parcels, square meters for urban property. The Russian desyatina (approximately 10,925 sq m or 1.09 hectares) is strictly historical.

South Asia

South Asia has the most fragmented system of land measurement units on earth. The same unit name can refer to vastly different areas depending on the state, district, or even village. For a deeper explanation of each unit, see our guide to land measurement units explained.

India: The unit used depends on the state and context:

Northern states (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh): Bigha is the primary unit. One bigha ranges from 1,618 sq m (Rajasthan) to 2,529 sq m (UP). Katha is the subdivision: 20 katha = 1 bigha in most northern states.
West Bengal, Assam: Bigha, but smaller -- 1,338 sq m per bigha. Also subdivided into katha (20 katha = 1 bigha).
Himachal Pradesh: Bigha at only 809 sq m, less than one-third the size of a UP bigha.
Gujarat: Bigha at 1,936 sq m. Also vigha in local dialect.
Punjab, Haryana: Kanal (505.86 sq m) and marla (25.29 sq m). Eight kanal equal one acre.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh (southern states): Cent (40.47 sq m, where 100 cents = 1 acre) and ground (222.97 sq m, primarily in Tamil Nadu urban areas).
Official government records nationwide: Hectares in revenue records, square meters for urban planning.

Pakistan: Marla (25.29 sq m) and kanal (505.86 sq m, or 20 marla) dominate urban and suburban land markets across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. For agricultural land, the acre is widely used (8 kanal = 1 acre). Larger holdings use the murabba (25 acres). Hectares appear in government agricultural statistics but are not commonly used in daily transactions.

Bangladesh: Bigha (1,338 sq m, same as West Bengal) and katha (66.9 sq m) are the primary units for agricultural land. The decimal (40.47 sq m, identical to the cent) is also common. Hectares and acres appear in official documents.

Nepal: Two systems coexist. In the Terai (southern lowlands), bigha (6,773 sq m -- much larger than the Indian bigha) and katha (338.6 sq m) are standard. In the hill regions, ropani (508.72 sq m), aana (31.8 sq m), and dam are used. This geographic split means the same country effectively uses two incompatible measurement systems.

Sri Lanka: Acres and perches are standard. One perch equals 25.29 sq m (272.25 sq ft), and 160 perches equal one acre. Urban and suburban property is listed in perches; agricultural land uses acres. Hectares appear in government forestry and environmental statistics.

Southeast Asia

Thailand: The rai is the universal land unit, equal to 1,600 sq m (0.395 acres, 0.16 hectares). Subdivisions are ngan (400 sq m, 4 ngan = 1 rai) and talang wah (4 sq m, 400 talang wah = 1 rai). Every land title deed, real estate listing, agricultural subsidy program, and casual conversation about land in Thailand uses rai. Converting: 1 hectare = 6.25 rai; 1 acre = 2.53 rai.

Indonesia: Hectares are the official unit for all land measurement. Agricultural land, plantation concessions, and government land-use statistics use hectares. Urban property is listed in square meters. No traditional units survive in common commercial use.

Philippines: Hectares for agricultural and rural land. Urban real estate uses square meters. The historical quinon (approximately 2.8 hectares) is no longer used.

Vietnam: Hectares and square meters. The historical mau (3,600 sq m in the north, 4,999 sq m in the south) occasionally surfaces in rural conversation among older generations but has no legal standing.

Myanmar (Burma): Acres remain the primary unit, a legacy of British colonial administration. Agricultural land, teak forest concessions, and government land grants use acres. Hectares appear in international reporting. One acre = 0.4047 hectares.

Cambodia, Laos: Hectares are standard for all land measurement.

Malaysia, Singapore: Hectares and square meters for official purposes. Acres persist in Malaysian plantation and agricultural contexts (especially for palm oil and rubber estates). Singapore uses square feet and square meters for property.

East Asia

China: The mu (also written mou) is China's most widely used land unit in agricultural and rural contexts. One mu equals 666.67 sq m (one-fifteenth of a hectare, or 0.1647 acres). The conversion is clean: 15 mu = 1 hectare. Chinese government statistics on arable land, grain production targets, and rural land contracts all reference mu. Urban property uses square meters. Hectares appear in scientific and international contexts.

Japan: The tsubo remains deeply embedded in the real estate market despite official metrication. One tsubo equals 3.306 sq m (35.58 sq ft). House lots and commercial properties are routinely described in tsubo. The larger unit, the tan (991.7 sq m), and the cho (9,917 sq m or approximately 1 hectare) are used for agricultural land. Officially, Japan uses square meters and hectares.

South Korea: The pyeong is functionally identical to the Japanese tsubo at 3.306 sq m. South Korea officially banned pyeong from commercial listings in 2007, mandating square meters, but the unit persists universally in conversation and informal listings. Apartment sizes, office spaces, and land plots are still discussed in pyeong. One hectare equals approximately 3,025 pyeong.

Taiwan: The ping (also 3.306 sq m, identical to tsubo and pyeong) is the standard unit in real estate. Agricultural land uses the jia (9,699 sq m or 0.97 hectares) and the fen (969.9 sq m). Taiwan officially uses square meters and hectares, but ping dominates the property market. One hectare equals approximately 3,025 ping.

Middle East

Turkey: The dunam (donum) equals 1,000 sq m (0.1 hectares, 0.247 acres). Agricultural land, olive orchards, and rural property are measured in dunams. Ten dunams equal one hectare. Urban property uses square meters. The dunam is the standard unit in Turkish land registries (tapu).

Israel and Palestine: The dunam (1,000 sq m) is the primary unit for all land measurement. Agricultural land in the Negev, residential plots in the West Bank, and kibbutz holdings are all described in dunams. The unit is used interchangeably with the metric definition (1,000 sq m exactly).

Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria: The dunam is standard across the former Ottoman territories. The modern standardized dunam (1,000 sq m) is used in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Iraq historically used a larger dunam (approximately 2,500 sq m) in some regions, though the 1,000 sq m version is increasingly standard.

Iran: Hectares and square meters are standard. The historical jerib (approximately 10,000 sq m or 1 hectare) is rarely used in modern transactions.

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman: Hectares and square meters for all official land measurement. Urban real estate uses square meters or square feet (particularly in the UAE, where British-influenced markets use sq ft).

Africa

Egypt: The feddan is the primary land unit, equal to 4,200.83 sq m (1.038 acres, 0.42 hectares). All agricultural land along the Nile, desert reclamation projects, and rural property transactions use feddans. The feddan subdivides into 24 kirat (175.03 sq m each). Hectares appear in international reporting.

Sudan: Also uses the feddan, though the Sudanese feddan varies slightly from the Egyptian feddan in some regions. The standard definition (4,200.83 sq m) is most common.

South Africa: Hectares are the modern standard, but the morgen (8,565.3 sq m or 0.8565 hectares) still appears in older title deeds and rural property listings, particularly in farming communities in the Free State, North West, and Limpopo provinces. Newer transactions and government records use hectares exclusively. One morgen equals approximately 2.116 acres.

Nigeria: Hectares for agricultural land and official records. Urban property uses square meters or, increasingly, "plots" -- an informal unit that typically refers to 648 sq m (60 ft x 120 ft, or 15 m x 43.2 m) in many Nigerian states, though the exact size varies by state and locality. Acres also appear in agricultural contexts.

Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda: Hectares and acres. Kenya's land registries use both, with acres more common in everyday conversation and property listings, reflecting British colonial heritage. Hectares dominate government statistics.

Ethiopia: Hectares. The historical gasha (approximately 40 hectares) and qelad are no longer used in modern land administration.

Most of sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, etc.): Hectares are the standard, with acres appearing in anglophone countries (Ghana, Zimbabwe, Zambia) due to British colonial influence. Francophone countries use hectares exclusively.

Oceania

Australia: Hectares are the standard for all land measurement. Australia fully metricated in the 1970s, and acres have been phased out of official use, though older Australians and some rural property listings still reference acres informally. One hectare = 2.471 acres. Cattle stations in the outback are measured in square kilometers (1 sq km = 100 hectares).

New Zealand: Hectares and square meters. Like Australia, New Zealand completed metrication decades ago. Acres appear only in historical documents. Dairy farms and vineyards are described in hectares.

Master Conversion Table

This table covers every major land unit discussed above. Use it for quick reference when converting between systems.

Unit	Country / Region	Size in sq m	Size in acres
Acre	USA, UK, Canada, Myanmar, Kenya	4,046.86	1.000
Hectare	Worldwide (official standard)	10,000	2.471
Bigha (UP, MP)	Northern India	2,529	0.625
Bigha (Rajasthan)	India - Rajasthan	1,618	0.400
Bigha (West Bengal)	India - West Bengal, Bangladesh	1,338	0.331
Bigha (Himachal Pradesh)	India - Himachal Pradesh	809	0.200
Bigha (Nepal Terai)	Nepal	6,773	1.674
Katha (Bihar)	India - Bihar	125	0.031
Katha (West Bengal)	India - West Bengal	66.9	0.017
Cent	Southern India	40.47	0.010
Ground	India - Tamil Nadu (urban)	222.97	0.055
Marla	Pakistan, Indian Punjab	25.29	0.006
Kanal	Pakistan, Indian Punjab	505.86	0.125
Ropani	Nepal (hill regions)	508.72	0.126
Perch	Sri Lanka	25.29	0.006
Rai	Thailand	1,600	0.395
Ngan	Thailand	400	0.099
Talang wah	Thailand	4	0.001
Mu (mou)	China	666.67	0.165
Tsubo	Japan	3.306	0.0008
Pyeong	South Korea	3.306	0.0008
Ping	Taiwan	3.306	0.0008
Dunam (donum)	Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Palestine	1,000	0.247
Feddan	Egypt, Sudan	4,200.83	1.038
Kirat	Egypt	175.03	0.043
Morgen	South Africa (historical)	8,565.3	2.116
Stremma	Greece	1,000	0.247
Manzana (Costa Rica)	Costa Rica	6,988	1.727
Manzana (Nicaragua)	Nicaragua	7,026	1.736
Cuerda	Puerto Rico	3,930	0.971
Alqueire paulista	Brazil - Sao Paulo	24,200	5.981
Alqueire mineiro	Brazil - Minas Gerais	48,400	11.960
Jia	Taiwan	9,699	2.397
Tan	Japan	991.7	0.245
Square mile	USA, UK	2,589,988	640

Why This Matters for GPS Measurement Apps

The table above lists 35 units, and several of those have sub-regional variants. If you are measuring land with a GPS-equipped phone, the raw measurement your device captures is a set of coordinates and a computed area in square meters. Converting that number into the unit your buyer, seller, lawyer, or government office expects is a separate step -- and getting it wrong by using the incorrect variant of a unit (the wrong state's bigha, the wrong country's manzana, the old Ottoman dunam instead of the modern one) can create real problems.

This is exactly why unit support in a measurement app matters. An app that only displays acres and hectares is insufficient for anyone working in Thailand, South Korea, India, Egypt, Turkey, or Brazil. You need an app that understands the full range of units the world actually uses.

LandLens for iPhone and iPad supports over 20 land measurement units, including every unit listed in the table above. When you walk a field boundary, trace a parcel on the satellite map, or drop pins to outline a plot, LandLens calculates the area and lets you switch between units with a single tap. Measure a coffee farm in Costa Rica and view it in manzanas, hectares, or acres. Survey a rice paddy in Thailand and see the result in rai. Outline a family plot in Bihar and read it in bigha and katha.

The app also lets you set a default unit in settings, so every measurement you take automatically appears in the unit you work with most. A property developer in Istanbul can default to dunam. A farmer in the Egyptian Delta can default to feddan. A surveyor in Seoul can default to pyeong. There is no manual conversion, no looking up multipliers, and no risk of using the wrong factor.

For professionals who deal with multiple countries or regions, LandLens eliminates the friction of translating between systems. Measure once, view in any unit. The land does not change; only the label does. Combined with the ability to measure land area directly from your phone and export results in formats like KML, GeoJSON, and Shapefile, LandLens turns your iPhone into a practical field measurement tool that speaks every country's language.

Land Measurement Units by Country: Complete 2026 Reference Guide