Convert cm to km -
Convert km to cm

Convert centimeters to kilometers and vice versa

Centimeters and Kilometers

A centimeter (cm) and a kilometer (km) are both units of length in the decimal system, also known as the metric system. The metric system is an international decimal system of weights and measures. It was introduced in France in 1795 and is now the official system for measuring length, weight and volume in most countries worldwide.

Centimeter

The centimeter is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one hundredth of a meter. The word 'centimeter' comes from the Latin word 'centum' meaning 'hundred' and the Greek word 'metron' meaning 'measure'. The abbreviation for centimeter is 'cm'.

Kilometer

A kilometer is a unit of length equal to a thousand meters. The word 'kilometer' comes from the Greek word 'chilioi' meaning 'thousand' and 'metron' meaning 'measure'. The abbreviation for kilometer is 'km'. Kilometers are often used to measure distances between geographical locations on land.

The ratio between centimeters and kilometers

There are 100,000 centimeters in a kilometer. This is because the prefix 'kilo-' in the metric system means a factor of a thousand, and there are 100 centimeters in a meter.

Examples

An example of an object that is about a centimeter long is the diameter of a paperclip. An example of a distance that is about a kilometer is the length of ten football fields.

Conversion factor

To convert centimeters to kilometers, divide the number of centimeters by 100,000.

1 centimeter = 0.00001 kilometer

To convert kilometers to centimeters, multiply the number of kilometers by 100,000.

1 kilometer = 100,000 centimeters