Hectare

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Hectare

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

HEK-tair  /ˈhɛktɛː/

Definition

A metric unit of area equal to 10,000 square metres (100 metres × 100 metres), equivalent to approximately 2.47 acres; the standard unit for measuring land area in agriculture, forestry, and land use planning.

Plain meaning

A hectare is the standard international unit for measuring land — it is 10,000 square metres, or roughly the size of a standard international rugby pitch including the dead ball areas. It replaced the acre as the standard unit in most of the world following metrication.

Register

Neutral and technical. Hectare is the standard unit in agricultural policy, planning, and environmental reporting. It appears in news reports, environmental studies, and agricultural policy documents. Most British people have some intuitive sense of what a hectare represents, even if they could not define it precisely.