Convert dunam to square kilometer easily.
1 dunam x 0.001 = 0.001 km²
Discover other related calculators
When dealing with land measurements in the Middle East or Mediterranean regions, you'll frequently encounter the dunam. This traditional unit stubbornly persists in real estate deals, agricultural planning, and even official documents. But how does it translate to the square kilometers we see on modern maps? Let's unravel this conversion puzzle together.
Unit definitions
What is a dunam (dunum)?
- Description: A historical land measurement unit rooted in the Ottoman Empire
- Symbol: None standardized, often spelled as dunam/dunum/dönüm
- Common uses: Land parcels, agricultural fields, property transactions
- Definition: Modern metric dunam equals 1,000 square meters (100m x 10m)
What is a square kilometer (km²)?
- Description: Standard metric unit for large area measurements
- Symbol: km²
- Common uses: Geographical features, city areas, national parks
- Definition: 1 kilometer x 1 kilometer (1,000,000 m²)
Conversion formula
The straightforward relationship makes conversion simple:
1 dunam = 0.001 square kilometers
km² = dunam × 0.001
dunam = km² ÷ 0.001
Example calculations
- Converting 5,400 dunam to km²:
5,400 × 0.001 = 5.4 km²
(That's roughly the size of Gibraltar) - Converting 0.8 km² to dunam:
0.8 ÷ 0.001 = 800 dunam
(Equivalent to 80 average soccer fields)
Conversion tables
Dunam to square kilometers
| Dunam | km² |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.001 |
| 100 | 0.1 |
| 500 | 0.5 |
| 1,000 | 1 |
| 5,000 | 5 |
| 10,000 | 10 |
Square kilometers to dunam
| km² | Dunam |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 100 |
| 0.5 | 500 |
| 1 | 1,000 |
| 5 | 5,000 |
| 10 | 10,000 |
| 50 | 50,000 |
From ottoman fields to modern deeds
The dunam's story begins in the Ottoman Empire, where it originally represented the area a team of oxen could plow in a day. Can you imagine setting property boundaries based on bovine stamina? This practical approach made sense in agrarian societies, though it led to regional variations. The modern metric version standardized in 1928 brought consistency, but old documents might still reference local interpretations.
During British Mandate periods, authorities tried replacing dunam with acres, but the unit persisted through cultural familiarity. Today's metric dunam (1,000 m²) offers a bridge between traditional practices and international standards, though some rural areas still use older definitions. This dual usage explains why careful conversion matters when reviewing historical land records.
Interesting facts!
- The word "dunam" comes from the Ottoman Turkish "dönmek" meaning "to turn", referencing plowing patterns
- Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics officially uses dunam alongside metric units
- 1 metric dunam equals exactly 10 ares (another historical unit)
- Cyprus still uses the "Cypriot dunam" of 14,400 square feet (≈1,338 m²)
- Urban planners often convert entire city areas from dunam to km² for international comparisons
FAQ
The metric dunam equals exactly 1,000 square meters, while traditional versions varied between 900-2,500 m² depending on region.
Dunam remains popular in property transactions across the Middle East and Balkans due to its practical size for land parcels.
Modern metric dunam conversions are precise (1 dunam = 0.001 km²), but verify which dunam definition your source uses.
Absolutely. Multiply km² by 1,000 to get dunam. Our calculator handles bidirectional conversions.
Yes, countries like Turkey, Syria, and Israel still use dunam in legal documents alongside metric units.