Here's what a hectare really looks like (2024)

By Charlotte Helston

When we talk about the size of a forest fire, we usually talk in hectares. But just how big is a hectare anyways?

The word hectare comes from the Greek word ‘hekaton’ which means one hundred — fitting since a perfect square-shaped hectare is 100 metres on every side.

A hectare is bigger than an acre (one hectare is equal to 2.47 acres ) and about two-and-a-half times the size of an average football field.

Here are some more helpful visuals for getting an idea of the size.

The grassy area inside a 400-metre running track is typically just over a hectare in size.

That’s the size of the track at the Greater Vernon Athletics Park and the Apple Bowl Stadium in Kelowna.

Aside from running tracks, many other sports are played on roughly one-hectare-sized surfaces. An international rugby track is just slightly larger than a hectare, and most baseball fields are around the one hectare mark, give or take.

FAMILIAR SPACES

Polson Park in Vernon is roughly 16 hectares.

Village Green Centre, also in Vernon, is between three and four hectares.

Orchard Park Shopping Centre in Kelowna is around eight hectares.

Kelowna City Park is 15 hectares.

Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops has a footprint of about one hectare.

Pioneer Park in Kamloops is approximately two hectares.

The South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton is just over a hectare.

The footprint of the Penticton Regional Hospital is nearly eight hectares.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

This is what 500 hectares looks like over Knox Mountain and the surrounding area in Kelowna.

This is what 1500 hectares would look like over the City of Kelowna.

Kalamalka Lake is roughly 2,500 hectares.

This is what 2,500 hectares would look like in downtown Kelowna.

- This story was originally published in 2018.

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