What is a UK nautical league?
A UK nautical league is three UK nautical miles, ie 18,240 feet or 5,559.552 meters, which rounds to 5.56 kilometers. The international nautical league is slightly shorter at 5,556 meters.
Don't confuse it with the land league, which is three statute miles. The nautical league is three nautical miles, about 3.45 statute miles, so it's roughly 15% longer.
Britain's territorial waters once reached one marine league – three nautical miles – from the coast. The limit has been 12 nautical miles, or four leagues, since 1987.
What is a furlong?
A furlong is 220 yards or 660 feet, which is exactly 201.168 meters. It is an eighth of a mile.
The origin of the term "furlong" can be traced back to Old English, where "furh" meant "furrow" and "lang" meant "long." This reflects the historical use of furlongs in measuring the length of a furrow in agricultural fields. In horse racing, furlongs are used to measure the distance between the starting point and the finish line. A racecourse typically consists of multiple furlongs, with the most common distances being 5 furlongs (5/8 of a mile) and 8 furlongs (1 mile).
Outside the racecourse the furlong has almost gone. British racing still gives distances in miles and furlongs, so a mile and a quarter is written 1m 2f. Road signs don't use it – they give miles and, for short distances, yards.