Feet to Miles Converter

To convert feet to miles, follow these steps:

1. 1
   Enter the value in feet
2. 2
   Click "Convert to Miles"
3. 3
   View the result in miles

The Historical Origin of Miles and Feet

The mile has a rich history dating back to Roman times. The word "mile" comes from the Latin phrase "milia passuum," meaning "thousand paces." A Roman mile was defined as 1,000 paces (or 5,000 Roman feet), with each pace being two steps (left foot, right foot). Roman soldiers would count their paces to measure distances traveled, and stone markers called "milliarium" were placed along Roman roads to indicate distances.

The modern mile of 5,280 feet was standardized in Elizabethan England through an Act of Parliament in 1592 under Queen Elizabeth I. This standardization was necessary to reconcile multiple measurement systems that were in use at the time. The foot itself was traditionally based on the length of a human foot, while the inch (1/12 of a foot) comes from the Latin word "uncia," meaning "one-twelfth."

Why There Are 5,280 Feet in a Mile

The seemingly odd number of 5,280 feet in a mile resulted from the need to standardize various units of measurement used for different purposes in medieval and early modern England:

• The original Roman mile was 5,000 feet
• A "furlong" (meaning "furrow long") was the standard agricultural distance that oxen could plow without resting—defined as 40 rods
• A "rod" (also called a "pole" or "perch") was defined as 16.5 feet
• An "acre" was traditionally defined as an area 4 rods wide by 40 rods long (or one furlong)

Eight furlongs made a convenient unit for longer distances. When calculated: 8 furlongs × 40 rods × 16.5 feet = 5,280 feet. Thus, the modern mile was established to be exactly 8 furlongs, aligning these various measurement systems into one coherent standard.

Modern Usage and Measurement Systems

Today, the international mile is precisely defined as 1,609.344 meters. However, the mile and foot continue to be used primarily in:

• United States (for most measurements)
• United Kingdom (for road distances and some personal measurements)
• Several countries with historical ties to the UK or US

Most countries around the world have adopted the metric system, which uses kilometers instead of miles as the standard unit for measuring longer distances.

Specialized Types of Miles

Beyond the standard mile, several specialized types of miles exist:

• Nautical mile: 1.852 km exactly (approximately 6,076 feet), defined as one minute of arc along a meridian of the Earth
• Survey mile: Used in US land surveys until 2022, slightly longer than the international mile (5,280 survey feet or approximately 1,609.347 meters)
• Metric mile: An informal term used in athletics for various distances close to one mile, most commonly 1,500 meters (approximately 0.932 miles)
• Geographical mile: Historically 1/60 of a degree of longitude at the equator, varying in definition over time

Conversion Table: Feet to Miles

Practical Applications

The feet to miles conversion is commonly used in:

• Navigation and travel: Converting walking or driving distances
• Sports and fitness: Tracking running or walking distances
• Land surveying: Measuring property boundaries and construction projects
• Geography and cartography: Creating and reading maps
• Civil engineering: Planning roads, bridges, and infrastructure