Nautical mile vs. Mile

Both are units of distance, but are derived and used differently. On land, a mile is a length of 5,280 feet. In air and sea travel, a nautical mile is a length equal to one minute of arc around the sphere of Earth. It is longer than a mile (equal to 1.151 miles).

A nautical mile is a unit of distance used for air and sea travel that is equal to 1,852 meters or 1.151 miles. Nautical miles are based on one minute of arc on the sphere of Earth, with 60 minutes of arc per degree longitude.

A mile is a unit of length or distance measurement on land that is equal to 5,280 feet. It is part of the US standard units of measure. Compared with the metric system, a mile is about 1,609 meters. Its abbreviation is m.