There are different types of Leagues
There are a few different types of League. On this site we have conversions for US Leagues and UK Leagues. In addition, there are also Nautical Leagues which can be found on this site. Please either select the appropriate unit on the selection above of click the required unit in the links below:
What is a chain?
The chain is a surveying unit of 66 feet, which is exactly 20.1168 meters. It is divided into 100 links of 7.92 inches each, and 80 chains make a mile.
The chain was devised by the English mathematician Edmund Gunter around 1620 and used to survey land. Ten square chains make exactly an acre, which is why surveyors liked it. GPS has replaced it for most work, though US public land surveys are still recorded in chains and links.
What is a League?
A league was originally roughly the distance a person could walk in an hour, about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers). The exact length varied with the country and the period.
A league is an old unit of length, usually around 3 miles or 5 kilometers, though the exact figure varied by country and period. Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea is about distance travelled, not depth – 20,000 of his 4 kilometer leagues is 80,000 kilometers, twice around the Earth.