Nautical Miles Converter

Nautical Mile

A nautical mile (NM) is a unit of distance used in aviation and maritime navigation. It is based on the Earth’s geometry and equals 1,852 meters or about 1.1508 miles. Because it relates directly to latitude and longitude, it makes charting courses across the ocean or sky more accurate for navigators.

Nautical miles work together with knots—1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour—to measure travel speed at sea or in the air. Converting nautical miles to kilometers or standard miles is simple with a reliable converter.

Why Nautical Miles Are Used at Sea and in the Air

The nautical mile remains the global standard for navigation because it corresponds to the planet’s curvature. One nautical mile represents one minute of latitude, allowing sailors and pilots to plot routes precisely using maps or GPS.

Since land-based measurements often use miles or kilometers, conversion tools help bridge the gap. For example, converting flight distance from nautical miles to kilometers gives travelers a clearer sense of how far they are going.