Kilometers (km) to Nautical Miles (nmi) Converter

How many kilometers (km) are in 1 nautical mile (nmi)? What is the formula for how to convert kilometers to nautical miles (km to nmi)?

1 kilometer (km) = 0.53995680345572 nautical mile (nmi)
So we can say that there is 0.53995680345572 nautical mile in 1 kilometer.
This means that the multiplication conversion factor to convert a quantity expressed in a kilometer unit of measurement to an equivalent quantity expressed in a nautical mile unit of measurement is 0.53995680345572.

Inversely (or reciprocally),

1 nautical mile (nmi) = 1.852 kilometers (km)
So we can say that there is 1.852 kilometers in 1 nautical mile.
This means that the division conversion factor to convert a quantity expressed in a kilometer unit of measurement to an equivalent quantity expressed in a nautical mile unit of measurement is 1.852.

Knowing this inverse mathematical relationship between the two conversion factors and their reciprocal operations, we can derive two formulas to calculate and convert a quantity of length expressed in kilometers to an equivalent quantity of length expressed in nautical miles (km to nmi). Both formulas will yield the same result. The formulas are:

nmi = km × 0.53995680345572    → This is the formula based on the multiplication conversion factor.

and

nmi = km ÷ 1.852    → This is the formula based on the division conversion factor.

For example, if you have a length of 275 kilometers that you want to convert to nautical miles, you would use either of the two formulas as follows:

nmi = 275 km × 0.53995680345572 = 148.48812095 nmi

nmi = 275 km ÷ 1.852 = 148.48812095 nmi

So, the result is the same using either formula, which is 148.48812095 nautical miles.

Kilometers to nautical miles (km to nmi) conversion chart

To save you time and effort spent on having to perform manual calculations or look up conversion formulas every time a conversion from kilometers to nautical-miles is needed, here is a kilometers-to-nautical-miles conversion chart for your quick and easy reference. This conversion chart (or conversion table) shows common measurement values of length in kilometers and their equivalent measurement values in nautical-miles. These equivalent measurement values may be rounded off to 1 or 2 decimal places when it is mathematically expedient for everyday applications.

Conversion factor of 1 kilometer to other units of length

Here is a reference list providing a conversion of 1 kilometer (km) to its equivalent values in various units of length, both metric and imperial:

What is a kilometer (km)?

Definition of kilometer: A kilometer is a unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), commonly known as the metric system, equal to one thousand meters (10^3 m). It is commonly used for longer distances, such as races, road distances and geographical features.

The abbreviation for kilometer is km. The single Unicode character ㎞ (U+339E) represents the 2-character Latin abbreviation for kilometer. The Windows Alt code for this character ㎞ is Alt + 13214.

What is a nautical mile (nmi)?

Definition of nautical mile: A nautical mile is a unit of length used primarily in maritime and aviation contexts for measuring distances over water or air. It is based on the Earth’s circumference and is defined as one minute of latitude along any meridian. It is approximately equal to 1,852 meters or about 1.15078 miles.

The nautical mile technically not part of the U.S. customary, imperial or metric systems of measurement. Therefore the nautical mile is considered as a specialized unit of measurement distinct from other systems of measurement, used specifically for maritime and aviation navigational purposes.

The abbreviation for nautical mile is nmi.