Question 1

What is an "are" (sotka)?

Accepted Answer

An are equals 100 m² — a 10 m × 10 m square. In Russian gardening it is called a "sotka"; a classic allotment was 6 sotkas (600 m²). One hectare is 100 ares, i.e. a 100 m × 100 m square.

Question 2

What is an acre?

Accepted Answer

An acre is 4,046.86 m², roughly 0.4 hectares. It is the standard land unit in the US, UK, and Canada. One square mile contains 640 acres (259 ha), so a 100-acre farm is about 40.5 ha.

Question 3

How much land do I need for a house?

Accepted Answer

Building codes often set a minimum plot of about 600–1,000 m². For a 150 m² house, plan on at least 1,000–1,500 m². A comfortable family plot is 1,500–2,500 m². A common rule keeps the building footprint to no more than 30–50% of the plot area.

Question 4

Why is 1 hectare = 10,000 m²?

Accepted Answer

Hectare literally means "100 ares" (hecto + are). One are is 100 m², so 100 ares make 10,000 m². The metric prefix "hecto-" means ×100. Cadastral documents usually list area in hectares to three decimals or in ares.

Question 5

How can I estimate area from a map?

Accepted Answer

Mapping apps like Google Maps have a "measure distance/area" tool that computes the area of a polygon you draw automatically. For a rough figure, fit a rectangle over the plot and multiply the sides; satellite imagery gives the most accurate outline.

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