Nautical miles to miles and km: converter and table
Type a distance in one unit and read it in the others. One nautical mile is exactly 1,852 metres: 1.852 km, or about 1.15 statute miles. Below: a table from 1 to 100 nautical miles, and how far riders really go in a session.
How to convert nautical miles
- Nautical miles to km: multiply by 1.85210 NM × 1.852 = 18.52 km
- Nautical miles to miles: multiply by 1.150810 NM × 1.1508 = 11.51 mi
- km to nautical miles: divide by 1.85210 km ÷ 1.852 = 5.4 NM
- Miles to nautical miles: divide by 1.150810 mi ÷ 1.1508 = 8.69 NM
- In your head: nautical miles plus 15% are miles20 NM → 20 + 3 = 23 mi
- Speed: one knot is one nautical mile per hour6 kn for 1 hour = 6 NM
Nautical miles conversion table: 1 to 100 NM
Distances in nautical miles, with the same distance in statute miles, kilometres and metres.
| Nautical miles | mi | km | m |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 NM | 1.15 | 1.85 | 1,852 |
| 2 NM | 2.30 | 3.70 | 3,704 |
| 3 NM | 3.45 | 5.56 | 5,556 |
| 4 NM | 4.60 | 7.41 | 7,408 |
| 5 NM | 5.75 | 9.26 | 9,260 |
| 6 NM | 6.90 | 11.11 | 11,112 |
| 7 NM | 8.06 | 12.96 | 12,964 |
| 8 NM | 9.21 | 14.82 | 14,816 |
| 9 NM | 10.36 | 16.67 | 16,668 |
| 10 NM | 11.51 | 18.52 | 18,520 |
| 12 NM | 13.81 | 22.22 | 22,224 |
| 15 NM | 17.26 | 27.78 | 27,780 |
| 20 NM | 23.02 | 37.04 | 37,040 |
| 25 NM | 28.77 | 46.30 | 46,300 |
| 30 NM | 34.52 | 55.56 | 55,560 |
| 40 NM | 46.03 | 74.08 | 74,080 |
| 50 NM | 57.54 | 92.60 | 92,600 |
| 60 NM | 69.05 | 111.12 | 111,120 |
| 75 NM | 86.31 | 138.90 | 138,900 |
| 100 NM | 115.08 | 185.20 | 185,200 |
How far do riders go in a session?
The distance of an average session, from 335,396 sessions recorded with Waterspeed and shared to its leaderboard, January – November 2026.
The distance of your own track
Do you have a GPS track? Open the GPX or FIT file in the free Waterspeed viewer. It shows the distance in nautical miles or km, your best nautical mile and your top speed, in the browser, with no account. For speeds, use the knots converter.
Questions
How many miles is a nautical mile?
One nautical mile is 1.1508 statute miles. Multiply the nautical miles by 1.1508: 10 nautical miles are 11.5 miles and 100 nautical miles are 115 miles.
How many km is a nautical mile?
One nautical mile is exactly 1.852 km, which is 1,852 metres. 10 nautical miles are 18.52 km and 100 nautical miles are 185.2 km.
Why is a nautical mile 1,852 metres?
The nautical mile is based on the Earth: one nautical mile is one minute of latitude. The length was officially set at exactly 1.852 km in 1929, by the body that is now the International Hydrographic Organization.
Is a nautical mile longer than a mile?
Yes. A nautical mile is 1,852 metres and a statute mile is 1,609 metres, so a nautical mile is about 15% longer.
Why do sailors use nautical miles?
Because nautical charts use latitude and longitude, and one nautical mile is one minute of latitude. It is easier to measure a distance on the chart in nautical miles.
What is the difference between a nautical mile and a knot?
A nautical mile is a distance. A knot is a speed: one nautical mile per hour, or about 1.15 statute miles per hour. At 10 knots you cover 10 nautical miles in one hour.
How far do kayakers and sailors go in a session?
In the sessions recorded with Waterspeed, an average kayak session is 4.4 nautical miles, which is 8.1 km or 5.0 miles. An average sailing session is 8.6 nautical miles, which is 16.0 km or 9.9 miles.
How do I see the distance of a GPS track in nautical miles?
Open the GPX or FIT file in the free Waterspeed viewer. It shows the distance in nautical miles or kilometres, with your best nautical mile. Switch the unit at the top of the results.
Units: NOAA · Distance by sport: sessions of the Waterspeed leaderboard