square mile

American  

[skwair mahyl] / ˈskwɛər ˈmaɪl /

noun

1. a unit of area measurement equal to a square measuring one mile on each side; equivalent to 2.59 square kilometers. mi 2 , sq. mi.

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Etymology

Origin of square mile

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

Secretary of State William Seward paid roughly $12 per square mile of Alaska in 1867.

From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026

The country’s east is heavily urbanized, with a population density about 50 times that of Arctic Scandinavia and Finland, where every square mile houses on average five people.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

Gibraltar, which is a British Overseas Territory, is a 2.6 square mile headland to the south of Spain.

From BBC • Jun. 11, 2025

It essentially entails trying to locate one square mile of activity in a 1,000-square-mile search area, Hunnicutt said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2025

Central Mexico, they said, was the most densely populated place on earth, with more than twice as many people per square mile than China or India.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann