🧭 Degrees to Nautical Miles Calculator
Convert angular degrees to nautical miles, kilometers, and statute miles with full navigation breakdowns
| Degrees | Arc Minutes | Nautical Miles | Kilometers | Statute Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1° | 6’ | 6 nm | 11.1 km | 6.9 mi |
| 0.25° | 15’ | 15 nm | 27.8 km | 17.3 mi |
| 0.5° | 30’ | 30 nm | 55.6 km | 34.5 mi |
| 1° | 60’ | 60 nm | 111.1 km | 69.0 mi |
| 2° | 120’ | 120 nm | 222.2 km | 138.1 mi |
| 5° | 300’ | 300 nm | 556.0 km | 345.2 mi |
| 10° | 600’ | 600 nm | 1,111 km | 690.5 mi |
| 15° | 900’ | 900 nm | 1,667 km | 1,035 mi |
| 30° | 1,800’ | 1,800 nm | 3,334 km | 2,071 mi |
| 45° | 2,700’ | 2,700 nm | 5,001 km | 3,107 mi |
| 90° | 5,400’ | 5,400 nm | 10,002 km | 6,214 mi |
| 180° | 10,800’ | 10,800 nm | 20,004 km | 12,427 mi |
| 360° | 21,600’ | 21,600 nm | 40,008 km | 24,855 mi |
| Latitude | 1° Longitude (nm) | 1° Longitude (km) | Cosine Factor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0° (Equator) | 60.00 nm | 111.12 km | 1.000 |
| 10° | 59.09 nm | 109.44 km | 0.985 |
| 20° | 56.38 nm | 104.41 km | 0.940 |
| 30° | 51.96 nm | 96.21 km | 0.866 |
| 40° | 45.96 nm | 85.10 km | 0.766 |
| 45° | 42.43 nm | 78.57 km | 0.707 |
| 50° | 38.57 nm | 71.42 km | 0.643 |
| 60° | 30.00 nm | 55.56 km | 0.500 |
| 70° | 20.52 nm | 38.01 km | 0.342 |
| 80° | 10.42 nm | 19.30 km | 0.174 |
| 90° (Pole) | 0.00 nm | 0.00 km | 0.000 |
| Route Type | Typical Degrees | Nautical Miles | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harbor to harbor (coastal) | 0.5° – 2° | 30 – 120 nm | Rhumb Line |
| Offshore fishing passage | 1° – 5° | 60 – 300 nm | Rhumb Line |
| Transatlantic crossing | 40° – 60° | 2,400 – 3,600 nm | Great Circle |
| Pacific crossing | 80° – 120° | 4,800 – 7,200 nm | Great Circle |
| Circumnavigation | 360° | ~21,600 nm | Great Circle |
| Coastal day sail | 0.1° – 0.5° | 6 – 30 nm | Rhumb Line |
| Inshore patrol route | 0.05° – 0.2° | 3 – 12 nm | Rhumb Line |
| Earth Model | Radius (km) | 1° = (km) | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Sphere | 6,371.0 km | 111.19 km | General navigation |
| WGS84 Equatorial | 6,378.137 km | 111.32 km | GPS & surveying |
| WGS84 Polar | 6,356.752 km | 110.95 km | Polar navigation |
| Nautical Definition | 6,367.5 km | 111.12 km | Marine charts |
| Mean Earth Radius | 6,371.2 km | 111.20 km | Average calculations |
Nautical miles measure distance according to mathematical latitude and length. Like this you use them for long distance instead of statute miles. One degree latitude matches 60 nautical miles and that counts at any length.
According to definition one minute latitude is one nautical mile. Because you share degree in 60 matches called minutes that bit of 1/60 of degree became the nautical mile.
What Is a Nautical Mile
At the equator one degree length matches 60 nautical miles. Elsewhere it is 60 nautical miles times the cosine of the latitude. Longitudinal grades range the same amount than latitude at the equator until almost nothing close to the poles.
Because of more little circles north of the equator one degree length is around 42 nm in many places. The equatorial circumference of the Earth estimate 131 482 560 feet shared in 360 degrees or 21 600 minutes. Like this the polar circumference at the equator almost match 21 600 nautical miles namely 60 minutes each 360 degrees.
Nautical mile is one minute according to big circle. That simplifies the use of charts for navigation. It matches the distance for “go one minute” around the globe.
The Earth has mean radio of 3440.065 nautical miles. One defines nautical mile exactly as 1852 meters. Comparatively to statute miles it is 1.15 from them because one degree latitude longs around 69 from those.
So 1/60 from it give 1.15 statute miles. The modern nautical mile matches exactly 1.150779 miles.
Pace in knots you say likewise as nautical miles for hour. GPS-coordinates for local markers wrecks and interesting spots you find searching online in nautical data or by means of special GPS-programs for boating and fishing. Above the surface according to big circles one degree has sixty nautical miles.
One minute latitude matches one nautical mile what is usefull practically. Nautical mile is around 6000 feet. So 0.1′ are around 600 ft 0.01′ around 60 ft and 0.001′ only 6 ft.
