Scandinavian mile

The Metric or Scandinavian mile ( Norwegian and Swedish: mil) is a unit of length, which is 10,000 meters. Miles are very often used colloquially or unofficially in Norway and Sweden, but officially kilometers are used for traffic signs and distance information.

In Denmark, the use is, however, not common. There, the Scandinavian mile is also called svensk mil ( Swedish mile). In Finland, the mile is rarely used.

History

Until 1649 every Swedish landscape had its own unit mile, whose lengths differed significantly. From this time on the mile of landscape Uppland was introduced that was with 10,673 meters longer than the current mile.

From 1814 onward, Sweden and Norway were united in a personal union. Before the introduction of the metric mile was the " country mile " with a length of 36,000 feet in Norway official unit of length, but the actual length was due to the different definitions of the foot 11,295 m 10,688 m in Norway and in Sweden.

The metric mile of 10,000 m was introduced in 1889 as part of the conversion to the metric system in Sweden - Norway.

Today's use

In Sweden, the unit is often used for longer distances, especially in the context of automobiles and car rides. So mileages of cars are usually given in miles, and the indication for the fuel consumption of cars is usually done in liters per mile. Road signs and speed limits in Sweden and the speedometer Swedish cars, however, are executed in kilometers. In amateur sports, the mile is likewise used. In long-distance running the mile is a common distance and numerous runs the mile and bear on their behalf.

In Norway, the mile is more colloquially and finds little application in writing.

Predecessor units

Denmark

Danish mile

Norway

Norwegian mile since 1818

Sweden

Swedish mile