A number of

units of measurement A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude (mathematics), magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can ...

were used in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

to measure length, mass, area, capacity, etc. Since 1907, the

metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the Decimal, decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in French Revolution, France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the d ...

has been compulsory in Iceland.

Unit system before the metric system

A number of units were used and these units were analogues to Danish.

Length

A number of units were used in Iceland to measure length. One foot () was equal to 0.31385 m and one nautical mile () was equal to 1,855 m, as they were defined by their metric equivalents. Some other units are given below: * 1 line () = feet * 1

inch Measuring tape with inches The inch (symbol: in or ″) is a unit of length in the British imperial and the United States customary systems of measurement. It is equal to yard or of a foot. Derived from the Roman uncia ("twelfth") ...

() = feet * 1 ell () = 2 feet * 1

fathom A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems equal to , used especially for measuring the depth of water. The fathom is neither an International Standard (SI) unit, nor an internationally-accepted non-SI unit. Hi ...

() = 6 feet * 1

mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

( or ) = 24,000 feet * = 20,000 = 120,000 feet

Mass

A number of units were used to measure mass. One pound () was equal to 0.5 kg as it was defined by its metric equivalent. Some other units are given below: * 1

mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...

() = pound * 1 = 8 pounds * 1 = 40 pounds * 1 = 64 pounds * 1 barrel of butter () = 224 pounds * 1 = 320 pounds * 1 = 320 pounds

Area

A number of units were used to measure area. One square fathom was equal to 3.546 m² and one square mile was equal to 56.7383 km², as they were defined by their metric equivalents. Some other units are given below: * 1 square inches = square fathom * 1 square feet = square fathom * 1 square = square fathom * 1 = 900 square fathom * 1 = 1,600 square fathom

Volume

A number of units were used to measure capacity. One pot () was equal to 0.9661 L as it was defined by its metric equivalent. Some other units are given below: * 1 = 18 pots * 1 = 39 pots * 1 general barrel () = 120 pots * 1 barrel of ale () = 136 pots * 1 = 144 pots

References

{{Systems of measurement Icelandic culture

Units of measurement A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude (mathematics), magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same kind of quantity. Any other quantity of that kind can ...