NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Obsolete Spanish and Portuguese units of measurement

There are a number of Spanish and Portuguese units of measurement of length or area that are now obsolete. They include the vara, the cordel, the league and the labor. The units of area used to express the area of land are still encountered in some transactions in land today. This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... â€œSIâ€ redirects here. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, â€³ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, â€² â€“ a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A yard (abbreviation: yd) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... For other uses of this word, see Length (disambiguation). ... This article is about the physical quantity. ...

Vara

A vara (abbreviation: var) is an old Spanish and Portuguese unit of length. Varas are a surveying unit that appears in many deeds in the southern United States, and varas were also used in many parts of Latin America. It varied in size at various times and places; the Spanish unit was set at about 835.9 mm in 1801. At some time a value of 33 in (838.2 mm) was adopted in California. The former Weights and Measures office in Middlesex, England. ... For other uses of this word, see Length (disambiguation). ... Surveyor at work with a leveling instrument. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

In Texas, a vara was defined as 33 1/3 inches. The vara and the corresponding unit of area, the square vara, was introduced in the 19th century to measure Spanish land grants. In Texas, Austin's early surveying contracts required that they use the vara as a standard unit. An acre is equivalent to 5,645.376 Texan square varas. Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallasâ€“Fort Worthâ€“Arlington Area Ranked 2nd - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 kmÂ²) - Width 773 miles (1,244 km) - Length 790 miles (1,270 km) - % water 2. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, â€³ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallasâ€“Fort Worthâ€“Arlington Area Ranked 2nd - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 kmÂ²) - Width 773 miles (1,244 km) - Length 790 miles (1,270 km) - % water 2. ... An acre is the name of a unit of area in a number of different systems, including Imperial units and United States customary units. ...

Standardization of measurement in Texas came with the introduction of varas, cordels, and leagues. Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallasâ€“Fort Worthâ€“Arlington Area Ranked 2nd - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 kmÂ²) - Width 773 miles (1,244 km) - Length 790 miles (1,270 km) - % water 2. ...

Cordel

A cordel is an old measure of length in Portugal and its colonies. So named because a string of standard length was used to measure.

Labor

A labor (pronounced /lə.ˈbɔɹ/ in West Texas) is a unit of area, used to express the area of land, that is equal to 1 million square varas. A labor is equivalent to about 177.1 acres. It was used in the archaic system of old Spanish land grants affecting Texas and parts of adjoining states. The labor is often used as an approximate equivalent to a quarter-section (that is, one quarter of a square mile of land). It is still encountered in modern real estate transactions. Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallasâ€“Fort Worthâ€“Arlington Area Ranked 2nd - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 kmÂ²) - Width 773 miles (1,244 km) - Length 790 miles (1,270 km) - % water 2. ... The former Weights and Measures office in Middlesex, England. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... An acre is the name of a unit of area in a number of different systems, including Imperial units and United States customary units. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (â‰ˆ1,609 m) in length. ...

Spanish League (unit of length)

A Spanish league (Spanish: Legua) is a unit of length, used to express distances, that is equal to 5,000 varas. It is equivalent to about 4.2 kilometres or about 2.6 miles. Officially the league was abolished by Philip II of Spain in 1568, but it is still in use unofficially in parts of Latin America, with exact meaning varying in different countries. The former Weights and Measures office in Middlesex, England. ... For other uses of this word, see Length (disambiguation). ... â€œkmâ€ redirects here. ... â€œMilesâ€ redirects here. ... Philip II (Spanish: Felipe II de Habsburgo; Portuguese: Filipe I) (May 21, 1527 â€“ September 13, 1598) was the first official King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, King of Naples and Sicily from 1554 until 1598, king consort of England (as husband of Mary I) from 1554 to 1558, Lord... Events March 23 - Peace of Longjumeau ends the Second War of Religion in France. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

In Brazil the league has fallen into disuse, but it used to be described as equivalent to 6 km.

In Yucatán and other parts of rural Mexico the league is still commonly used in the original sense of the distance that can be covered on foot in an hour, so that a league along a good road on level ground is a greater distance than a league on a difficult path over rough terrain. Location within Mexico Country Capital Municipalities 106 Government - Governor Ivonne Ortega Pacheco PRI - Federal Deputies PAN: 4 PRI: 1 - Federal Senators Hugo Laviada (PAN) Alfredo RodrÃguez (PAN) Cleominio Zoreda (PRI) Area Ranked 20th - State 38,402 kmÂ² (14,827. ...

League (unit of area)

A league can also be a unit of area, used to express the area of land, that is equal to 25 million square varas. A (square) league is equivalent to about 4,428.4 acres. It was used in the archaic system of old Spanish land grants affecting Texas and parts of adjoining states and this use of league is used throughout the Texas Constitution. The former Weights and Measures office in Middlesex, England. ... This article is about the physical quantity. ... An acre is the name of a unit of area in a number of different systems, including Imperial units and United States customary units. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallasâ€“Fort Worthâ€“Arlington Area Ranked 2nd - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 kmÂ²) - Width 773 miles (1,244 km) - Length 790 miles (1,270 km) - % water 2. ... The Texas Constitution is the document that describes the structure and function of the government of Texas. ...

A common Texas land grant size, discussed in James Michener's Texas, was a "labor and a league": one labor of good riparian land, and a (square) league of land away from the river. James Albert Michener (February 3, 1907? - October 16, 1997) was the American author of such books as Tales of the South Pacific (for which he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948), Hawaii, The Drifters, Centennial, The Source, The Fires of Spring, Chesapeake, Caribbean, Caravans, Alaska, Texas, and Poland. ... Texas is a novel by James A. Michener. ... A riparian zone schematic from the Everglades. ...

See also

Weights and measures is a term used by legal authorities in English speaking countries such as the United Kingdom for a function related to units of measurement in trade. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... â€œSIâ€ redirects here. ...

External links

Categories: Systems of units | Obsolete units of measure | Units of length | Units of area The Handbook of Texas (ISBN 0-87611-151-7) is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published jointly by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) and the General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin. ... A system of measurement is a set of units which can be used to specify anything which can be measured and were historically important, regulated and defined because of trade and internal commerce. ... The International System of Units (symbol: SI) (for the French phrase Syst me International dUnit s) is the most widely used system of units. ... â€œSIâ€ redirects here. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The metre-tonne-second or mts system of units is a system of physical units introduced in the Soviet Union in 1933, but abolished in 1955. ... The deprecated unit kilogram-force (kgf) or kilopond (kp) is the force exerted by one kilogram of mass in standard Earth gravity (defined as exactly 9. ... In physics, natural units are physical units of measurement defined in terms of universal physical constants in such a manner that some chosen physical constants take on the numerical value of one when expressed in terms of a particular set of natural units. ... In physics, especially in the general theory of relativity, geometrized units or geometric units constitute a physical unit system in which all physical quantities are identified with geometric quantities such as areas, lengths, dimensionless numbers, path curvatures, or sectional curvatures. ... In physics, Planck units are physical units of measurement defined exclusively in terms of the five universal physical constants shown in the table below in such a manner that all of these physical constants take on the numerical value of one when expressed in terms of these units. ... In physics, natural units are physical units of measurement defined in terms of universal physical constants in such a manner that some chosen physical constants take on the numerical value of one when expressed in terms of a particular set of natural units. ... In physics, natural units are physical units of measurement defined in terms of universal physical constants in such a manner that some chosen physical constants take on the numerical value of one when expressed in terms of a particular set of natural units. ... Atomic units (au) form a system of units convenient for electromagnetism, atomic physics, and quantum electrodynamics, especially when the focus is on the properties of electrons. ... In physics, natural units are physical units of measurement defined in terms of universal physical constants in such a manner that some chosen physical constants take on the numerical value of one when expressed in terms of a particular set of natural units. ... In physics, natural units are physical units of measurement defined in terms of universal physical constants in such a manner that some chosen physical constants take on the numerical value of one when expressed in terms of a particular set of natural units. ... The avoirdupois (IPA: ; French:) system is a system of weights (or, properly, mass) based on a pound of sixteen ounces. ... Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals, black powder, and gemstones. ... The apothecaries system of mass is an obsolete system formerly used by apothecaries (now called pharmacists or chemists) in English-speaking countries. ... English unit is the American name for a unit in one of a number of systems of units of measurement, some obsolete, and some still in use. ... The Imperial units or the Imperial system is a collection of English units, first defined in the Weights and Measures Act of 1824, later refined (until 1959) and reduced. ... U.S. customary units, also known in the United States as English units[1] (but see English unit) or standard units, are units of measurement that are currently used in the USA, in some cases alongside units from SI (the International System of Units â€” the modern metric system). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Dutch system was not standardised until Napoleon introduced the metric system. ... In Finland, approximate units of measure were derived from natural actions or objects such body parts, later standardised for the purpose of commerce. ... In France, before the decimalised metric system of 1799, a well-defined old system existed, however with some local variants. ... Germany had an indigenous system of German units of measurement prior to its adoption of the international metric system. ... In modern usage, metric is used almost exclusively in commercial transactions. ... As in the case of the Danes the Norwegians earliest standards of measure can be derived from their ship burials. ... Several native system of weights and measures were used in Scotland. ... In Sweden, a common system for weights and measures was introduced by law in 1665. ... Ancient Polish weights and measures included: Garniec [1] Grzywna [2] and [3] KamieÅ„ [4] Korzec [5] Krok [6] Kwarta [7] Kwartnik [8] Åan [9] Åaszt [10] Åawka [11] ÅokieÄ‡ [12] Åut [13] Morga [14] Pacierz [15] PiÄ™dÅº [16] Skojec [17] Staje [18] Stopa [19] Wiardunek [20] ZdrowaÅ›ka [21... The measures of the old Romanian system varied greatly not only between the three Romanian states (Wallachia, Moldavia, Transylvania), but sometimes also inside the same country. ... Obsolete Russian weights and measures were used in Imperial Russia and after the Russian Revolution until they were replaced in the Soviet Union by a metric system in 1924. ... Obsolete Tatar weights and measures were used by Tatars until 1924, when they were replaced in the Soviet Union by the SI units. ... Old Indian measures are still in use today, primarily for religious purposes in Hinduism and Jainism. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Chinese units (Chinese: å¸‚åˆ¶; Hanyu Pinyin: ; literally market system) are the customary and traditional units of measure used in China. ... Shakkan-hÅ ) is the traditional Japanese system of measurement. ... Ancient Greek weights and measures - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Roman system of measurement was built on the Greek system with Egyptian influences. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Weight Reduced to English troy-weight, the Hebrew weights were: Gerah (Lev. ... The Arabic system of measurement is based on the Persian system. ... Originally Ancient Mesopotamian weights and measures came from a collection of city states loosely organized by family, tribe and occupation. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Unusual units of measurement are sometimes used by scientists, especially physicists and mathematicians, and other technically-minded people such as engineers and programmers, as bits of dry humor combined with putative practical convenience. ... Mesures usuelles (French for customary measurements) were a system of measurement introduced to act as compromise between metric system and traditional measurements. ...

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