1609.344

The statute mile was defined by an English Act of Parliament (hence the name) in 1592, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I as being 1,760 yards (5,280 feet, about 1609 metres). For surveying, the statute mile is divided into eight furlongs; each furlong is ten chains; each chain is four rods (also known as poles or perches); and each rod is 25 links. This makes the rod equal to 5 yards or 16 feet in both Imperial and U.S. usage.