Scale 1:1,000,000: what does 1 cm on the map equal?
At a scale of 1:1,000,000, everything on paper is 1,000,000 times smaller than in reality: 1 cm on the drawing equals 1,000,000 cm, that is, 10 km on the ground. To convert, multiply the paper measurement by 1,000,000; to draw, divide the real measurement by 1,000,000.
Quick conversion
Type a value in either box. Open the full scale calculator
Conversion table
| On paper | On the ground |
|---|---|
| 1 mm | 1 km |
| 5 mm | 5 km |
| 1 cm | 10 km |
| 2 cm | 20 km |
| 5 cm | 50 km |
| 10 cm | 100 km |
| 20 cm | 200 km |
| 50 cm | 500 km |
| On the ground | On paper |
|---|---|
| 1 km | 1 mm |
| 2 km | 2 mm |
| 5 km | 5 mm |
| 10 km | 1 cm |
| 20 km | 2 cm |
| 50 km | 5 cm |
| 100 km | 10 cm |
| 200 km | 20 cm |
| 500 km | 50 cm |
How much fits on a sheet
| Sheet | Ground covered (whole sheet, no margins) | Area |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 297 km × 210 km | 62,370 km² |
| A3 | 420 km × 297 km | 124,740 km² |
| A2 | 594 km × 420 km | 249,480 km² |
| A1 | 841 km × 594 km | 499,554 km² |
| A0 | 1,189 km × 841 km | 999,949 km² |
What the 1:1,000,000 scale is used for
Regional and road maps and overviews of large areas.
FAQ
What does 1 cm equal at a scale of 1:1,000,000?
1 cm on paper equals 10 km on the ground. Multiply the paper measurement by 1,000,000: 1 cm × 1,000,000 = 10 km.
How do you measure a distance on a 1:1,000,000 map?
Measure on paper with a ruler in centimeters and multiply by 10,000: the result is in meters. To draw, do the opposite: divide the real distance in meters by 10,000 to get centimeters on paper.
What does 1 cm² equal at a scale of 1:1,000,000?
1 cm² on paper corresponds to 100 km² on the ground, because area is multiplied by the square of the scale (1,000,000 × 1,000,000).