nautical mile

Definition

A unit of length corresponding approximately to one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian. By international agreement it is exactly 1,852 metres (approximately 6,076 feet or 1.151 statute mile).

Example Sentences

• "Near-synonym: geographical mile (very close to the same distance)"
• "Personnel trenches have been constructed or improved in Tantung (40-05-50N 124-21-30E) and along roads 13 nautical miles (nm) south-southwest of Tantung and 1.5 nm west of the border (Figures 2 and 3)."
• "An even more impressive nineteenth-century militarized lighthouse is found on the Taiwanese Wuchiu island, located just 20 nautical miles off the Chinese coast. While much of the surrounding military structure has been demolished, its black tower and high walls painted in camouflage colours stand as reminders of the contested history of this small frontier island."