League (unit)

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A league is a unit of length. It was common in Europe and Latin America, but is no longer an official unit in any nation. Derived from an ancient Celtic unit and adopted by the Romans as the leuga, the league became a common unit of measurement throughout western Europe. Since the Middle Ages, many values have been specified in several countries, ranging from 2.2 km (1.4 mi) to 7.9 km (4.9 mi).

Contents

It may have originally represented, roughly, the distance a person could walk in an hour. [1]

Definitions

Ancient Rome

The league was used in Ancient Rome, defined as 1½ Roman miles (7,500 Roman feet, modern 2.2 km or 1.4 miles). The origin is the leuga Gallica(also:leuca Callica), the league of Gaul. [2]

Argentina

The Argentine league (legua) is 5.572 km (3.462 mi) or 6,666 varas: 1 vara is 0.83 m (33 in). [3]

England

On land, the league is most commonly defined as three miles (4.83 km), although the length of a mile could vary from place to place as well as depending on the era. At sea, a league is three  nmi (3.452 mi; 5.556 km). English usage also included many of the other leagues mentioned below (for example, in discussing the Treaty of Tordesillas).[ citation needed ]

France

The French lieue — at different times — existed in several variants, namely 10,000, 12,000, 13,200 and 14,400 French feet, about 3.25 to 4.68 km (2.02 to 2.91 miles). It was used along with the metric system for a while, but is long discontinued.

A metric lieue was used in France from 1812 to 1840, with 1 metric lieue being exactly 4,000 m, or 4 km (about 2.5 mi). [4] It is this unit that is referenced in both the title and the body text of Jules Verne's novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870). [5]

Mexico

In some rural parts of Mexico, the league (Spanish legua) is still used in the original sense of the distance that can be covered on foot in an hour, so that a league along a good road on level ground is a greater distance than a league on a difficult path over rough terrain. [6]

Portugal

In Portugal, Brazil and other parts of the former Portuguese Empire, there were several units called league (Portuguese: légua ):

The names of the several léguas referred to the number of units that made the length corresponding to an angle degree of a meridian arc.

For compatibility after Portugal adopted the metric system, the metric légua of 5.0 km was used.

In Brazil, the léguas is still used occasionally, where it has been described as about 6.6 km.

Spain

Milestone in the Province of Avila, Spain indicating a distance of 9 leagues to the city of Avila Fuente em Gredos.jpg
Milestone in the Province of Ávila, Spain indicating a distance of 9 leagues to the city of Ávila

The legua or Spanish league was originally understood as equivalent to 3 millas (Spanish miles). [7] This varied depending on local standards for the pie (Spanish foot) and on the precision of measurement, but was officially equivalent to 4,180 metres (2.6 miles) before the legua was abolished by Philip II in 1568. It remains in use in parts of Latin America, where its exact meaning varies.

In the early Hispanic settlements of New Mexico, Texas, California, and Colorado, a league was also a unit of area, defined as 25 million square varas or about 4,428.4 acres. [9] This usage of league is referenced frequently in the Texas Constitution. So defined, a league of land would encompass a square that is one Spanish league on each side.

Comparison table

A comparison of the different lengths for a "league", in different countries and at different times in history, is given in the table below. Miles are also included in this list because of the linkage between the two units.

Length (m)NameWhere usedFromToDefinitionRemarks
1,000(for comparison)1 kilometer
1,280.16kawtha Myanmar today20 out-thaba Myanmar units of measurement
1,482mille passus, milliariumRoman Empire Ancient Roman units of measurement
1,486.6miglio [10] Sicily
1,500Persian milePersia
1,524London mileEngland
1,609.3426(statute) mileEngland/UK159219591,760 yards Over the course of time, the length of a yard changed several times and consequently so did the English (and, from 1824, Imperial) mile. The statute mile was introduced in 1592 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I
1,609.344milesome English speaking countries[ citation needed ]1959today1,760 yards On 1 July 1959, the imperial mile was standardized to an exact length in metres
1,609.3472(statute) mileUnited States1893today1,760 yards From 1959; also called the U.S. Survey Mile. From then its only utility has been land survey, before it was the standard mile. From 1893 its exact length in metres was: ⁠3,600/3,937⁠ × 1760
1 820Italy
1,852 nautical mile internationaltoday1,852 mSymbol: nmi; Abbreviation: NM
1,852.3(for comparison)1 meridian minute
1,853.181Turkish (nautical) mileTurkey1933today
1,855.4(for comparison)1 equatorial minuteThough the NM was defined on the basis of the minute, it varies from the equatorial minute, because at that time people could only estimate the circumference of the equator to be 40,000 km.
1,894.35Ottoman mileOttoman Empire19335,000 ayak Ottoman units of measurement
2,065Portugal
2,220Gallo-Roman league Gallo-Roman culture 1+1⁄2 milesUnder the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, this replaced the Roman mile as the official unit of distance in the Gallic and Germanic provinces, although there were regional and temporal variations. [11]
2,470Sardinia, Piemont
2,622Scotland
2,880Ireland
3,780Flanders
3,898French lieue (post league)France2,000 "body lengths"
4,000French lieueFrance181218404,000 m exactlyThis unit is referenced by Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas . [5]
4,000general or metric league
4,000legueGuatemala
4,179.4legua antigua
(old league)		Spain1568
4,190legueMexico [12] = 2,500 tresas = 5,000 varas
4,444.8landleuge1⁄25° of a circle of longitude
4,452.2lieue communeFrance Units of measurement in France before the French Revolution
4,513legueParaguay
4,513leguaChile, [12] (Guatemala, Haiti)= 36 cuadros = 5,400 varas
4,531WegstundeSaxony [13] 172218401,000 Dresden rodsintroduced on occasion of a countrywide road survey
4,808Switzerland
4,828English land leagueEngland3 miles
4,800
4,900		Germanic rasta, also doppelleuge
(double league)
5,000légua novaPortugal [12]
5,120.64ga-wout (Burmese league) Myanmar today4 kawtha Myanmar units of measurement
5,196leguaBolivia [12] = 40 ladres
5,152legua argentinaArgentina, Buenos Aires [12] = 6,000 varas
5,154legueUruguay
5,200Bolivian leguaBolivia
5,370legueVenezuela
5,500Portuguese léguaPortugal
5,510legueEcuador
5,510Ecuadorian leguaEcuador
5,532.5Landleuge
(state league)		Prussia
5,540legueHonduras
5,556Seeleuge (lit. "sea league" or nautical league)1⁄20° of a circle of longitude
3 nautical miles
5,570leguaSpain and Chile Spanish customary units
5,572leguaColombia [12] = 3 Millas
5,572.7leguePeru [12] = 20,000 feet
5,572.7legua antigua
old league		Spain [12] = 3 millas = 15,000 feet
5,590léguaBrazil [12] = 5,000 varas = 2,500 bracas
5,600Brazilian léguaBrazil
5,685 Fersah (Turkish league)Ottoman Empire19333 Ottoman milesDerived from Persian Parasang .
5,840 [14] Dutch mileNetherlands1816
6,197légua antigaPortugal [12] = 3 milhas = 24 estadios
6,277Luxembourg
6,280Belgium
6,687.24legua nueva
(new league)		Spain [12] 1766= 8,000 Varas
6,797Landvermessermeile
(state survey mile)		Saxony
7,400Netherlands1816
7,409(for comparison)4 meridian minutes
7,419.2Kingdom of Hanover
7,419.4Duchy of Brunswick
7,420.4
7,414.9		Bavaria
7,420.439geographic mile1⁄15 equatorial grads
7,421.6(for comparison)4 equatorial minutes
7,448.7Württemberg
7,450Hohenzollern
7,467.6Russia7 werst Obsolete Russian units of measurement
7,480Bohemia
7,500kleine / neue Postmeile
(small/new postal mile)		Saxony1840 German Empire, North German Confederation, Grand Duchy of Hesse, Russia
7,532.5Land(es)meile
(German state mile)		Denmark, Hamburg, Prussia primarily for Denmark defined by Ole Rømer
7,585.9Postmeile
(post mile)		Austria-Hungary Austrian units of measurement
7,850 Romania
8,800Schleswig-Holstein
8,888.89Baden
9,062average Post- or Polizeimeile
(middle post mile or police mile)		Saxony [13] 1722
9,206.3Electorate of Hesse
9,261.4(for comparison)5 meridian minutes
9,277(for comparison)5 equatorial minutes
9,323alte Landmeile
(old state mile)		Hanover1836
9,347alte Landmeile
(old state mile)		Hanover1836
9,869.6Oldenburg
10,000metric mile, Scandinavian mile Scandinaviastill commonly used today, e.g. for road distances.; equates to the myriametre
10,044große Meile
(great mile)		Westphalia
10,670peninkulmaFinland1887
10,688.54milSweden1889
11,113.7(for comparison)6 meridian minutes
11,132.4(for comparison)6 equatorial minutes
11,295milNorway1889was equivalent to 3,000 Rhenish rods.

Similar units:

See also

Related Research Articles

The geographical mile is an international unit of length determined by 1 minute of arc along the Earth's equator. For the international ellipsoid 1924 this equalled 1855.4 metres. The American Practical Navigator 2017 defines the geographical mile as 6,087.08 feet (1,855.342 m). Greater precision depends more on the choice of the Earth's radius of the used ellipsoid than on more careful measurement, since the radius of the geoid varies more than 100 metres (328.084 ft) along the equator. In any ellipsoid, the length of a degree of longitude at the equator is exactly 60 geographical miles. The Earth's radius at the equator in the GRS80 ellipsoid is 6,378,137.0000 m, which makes the geographical mile 1,855.3248 m. The rounding of the Earth's radius to metres in GRS80 has an effect of 0.0001 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial units</span> System of measurements

The imperial system of units, imperial system or imperial units is the system of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act 1824 and continued to be developed through a series of Weights and Measures Acts and amendments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mile</span> Unit of length

The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English feet, or 1,760 yards. The statute mile was standardised between the Commonwealth of Nations and the United States by an international agreement in 1959, when it was formally redefined with respect to SI units as exactly 1,609.344 metres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrication</span> Conversion to the metric system of measurement

Metrication or metrification is the act or process of converting to the metric system of measurement. All over the world, countries have transitioned from local and traditional units of measurement to the metric system. This process began in France during the 1790s, and has persistently advanced over two centuries, accumulating into 95% of the world officially only using the modern metric system. Nonetheless, this also highlights that certain countries and sectors are either still transitioning or have chosen not to fully adopt the metric system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nautical mile</span> Unit of distance (1,852 m)

A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute of latitude at the equator, so that Earth's polar circumference is very near to 21,600 nautical miles. Today the international nautical mile is defined as 1,852 metres. The derived unit of speed is the knot, one nautical mile per hour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Unit of length</span> Reference value of length

A unit of length refers to any arbitrarily chosen and accepted reference standard for measurement of length. The most common units in modern use are the metric units, used in every country globally. In the United States the U.S. customary units are also in use. British Imperial units are still used for some purposes in the United Kingdom and some other countries. The metric system is sub-divided into SI and non-SI units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chain (unit)</span> Unit of length

The chain is a unit of length equal to 66 feet, used in both the US customary and Imperial unit systems. It is subdivided into 100 links. There are 10 chains in a furlong, and 80 chains in one statute mile. In metric terms, it is 20.1168 m long. By extension, chainage is the distance along a curved or straight survey line from a fixed commencing point, as given by an odometer.

A system of units of measurement, also known as a system of units or system of measurement, is a collection of units of measurement and rules relating them to each other. Systems of measurement have historically been important, regulated and defined for the purposes of science and commerce. Instances in use include the International System of Units or SI, the British imperial system, and the United States customary system.

The following systems arose from earlier systems, and in many cases utilise parts of much older systems. For the most part they were used to varying degrees in the Middle Ages and surrounding time periods. Some of these systems found their way into later systems, such as the Imperial system and even SI.

<i>Li</i> (unit) Traditional Chinese unit of distance

Li, also known as the Chinese mile, is a traditional Chinese unit of distance. The li has varied considerably over time but was usually about one third of an English mile and now has a standardized length of a half-kilometer. This is then divided into 1,500 chi or "Chinese feet".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch units of measurement</span>

The Dutch units of measurement used today are those of the metric system. Before the 19th century, a wide variety of different weights and measures were used by the various Dutch towns and provinces. Despite the country's small size, there was a lack of uniformity. During the Dutch Golden Age, these weights and measures accompanied the Dutch to the farthest corners of their colonial empire, including South Africa, New Amsterdam and the Dutch East Indies. Units of weight included the pond, ons and last. There was also an apothecaries' system of weights. The mijl and roede were measurements of distance. Smaller distances were measured in units based on parts of the body – the el, the voet, the palm and the duim. Area was measured by the morgen, hont, roede and voet. Units of volume included the okshoofd, aam, anker, stoop, and mingel. At the start of the 19th century the Dutch adopted a unified metric system, but it was based on a modified version of the metric system, different from the system used today. In 1869, this was realigned with the international metric system. These old units of measurement have disappeared, but they remain a colourful legacy of the Netherlands' maritime and commercial importance and survive today in a number of Dutch sayings and expressions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French units of measurement</span> Units of measurement used in France

France has a unique history of units of measurement due to its radical decision to invent and adopt the metric system after the French Revolution.

The units of measurement of German-speaking countries consist of a variety of units, with varying local standard definitions. While many were made redundant with the introduction of the metric system, some of these units are still used in everyday speech and even in stores and on street markets as shorthand for similar amounts in the metric system. For example, some customers ask for one pound of something when they want 500 grams.

There are a number of Spanish units of measurement of length or area that are virtually obsolete due to metrication. They include the vara, the cordel, the league and the labor. The units of area used to express the area of land are still encountered in some transactions in land today.

A number of different units of measurement were used in Argentina as its national system was derived from Spanish Castillian. The metric system was legally optional since 1863 and has been compulsory since 1887.

A number of units of measurement were used in Honduras for length, mass, volume etc. In Honduras, the metric system was adopted in 1910, and has been compulsory since 1912, under a joint convention between Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador.

A number of units of measurement were used in Cuba to measure quantities like mass, area, and capacity. In Cuba, Metric system has been compulsory since 1858.

A number of units of measurement were used in Mexico to measure length, mass, area, capacity, etc. The Metric system was optional from 1857, and has been compulsory since 1896.

<i>Klafter</i> Historical unit of measurement

The klafter is an historical unit of length, volume and area that was used in Central Europe.

References

  1. ↑ Chardon, Roland (June 1980). "The Linear League in North America". Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 70 (2): 131. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8306.1980.tb01304.x . Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  2. ↑ The Oxford English Dictionary
  3. ↑ Espasa-Calpe Dictionary, Argentina and Mexico Edition 1945: headword Legua
  4. ↑ François Cardarelli: Scientific Unit Conversion (Springer-Verlag London, 1999)
  5. 1 2 Jules Verne: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers (1871), Part 2, Chapter VII
    "Aussi, notre vitesse fut-elle de vingt-cinq milles à l’heure, soit douze lieues de quatre kilomètres. Il va sans dire que Ned Land, à son grand ennui, dut renoncer à ses projets de fuite. Il ne pouvait se servir du canot entraîné à raison de douze à treize mètres par seconde. Quitter le Nautilus dans ces conditions, c’eût été sauter d’un train marchant avec cette rapidité, manœuvre imprudente s’il en fut."
    "Accordingly, our speed was twenty–five miles (that is, twelve four–kilometre leagues) per hour. Needless to say, Ned Land had to give up his escape plans, much to his distress. Swept along at the rate of twelve to thirteen metres per second, he could hardly make use of the skiff. Leaving the Nautilus under these conditions would have been like jumping off a train racing at this speed, a rash move if there ever was one." Translated by F. P. Walter
  6. ↑ Rani T. Alexander (2004). Yaxcabá and the Caste War of Yucatán: An Archaeological Perspective. UNM Press. p. 165. ISBN   978-0-8263-2962-2.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Spence, E. Lee.Spence's Guide to Shipwreck Research, p. 32. Narwhal Press (Charleston), 1997.
  8. ↑ Spence's Guide to Shipwreck Research, by Dr. E. Lee Spence, Narwhal Press, Charleston/Miami, © by Edward L. Spence, 1997, p. 32
  9. ↑ Vikki Gray (1998-12-24). "Land Measurement Conversion Guide". Vikki Gray. Archived from the original on 2007-06-08. Retrieved 2007-06-04.
  10. ↑ Leopold Carl Bleibtreu: Handbuch der Münz-, Maß- und Gewichtskunde und des Wechsel-Staatspapier-, Bank- und Aktienwesens europäischer und außereuropäischer Länder und Städte. Verlag von J. Engelhorn, Stuttgart, 1863, p. 332
  11. ↑ (in German) Pre-metric units of length
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Helmut Kahnt (1986), BI-Lexikon Alte Maße, Münzen und Gewichte (in German) (1 ed.), Leipzig: VEB Bibliographisches Institut, pp. 380
  13. 1 2 "Historie der Postsäulen" (in German). Forschungsgruppe Kursächsische Postmeilensäulen e.V. und 1. Sächsischer Postkutschenverein e.V. Archived from the original on February 5, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  14. ↑ IKAR-Altkartendatenbank [ permanent dead link ] der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Kartenabteilung.
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