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A manzana is a unit of area used in Argentina and in many Central American countries, originally defined as 10,000 square varas in Spanish customary units.^[1] In other Spanish-speaking regions, the term has the meaning of a city block.^[2]

Plan of the health area of the Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia^[a]

Today its size varies between countries:

In Argentina it is a hectare, 10,000 m².
In most Central American countries it is about 7,000 m² (1.7 acres), varying between countries.
In Belize it is 8,353 m² (2.064 acres).
In Nicaragua it is 7,042.25 m² (1.74018 acres).

If a vara is taken as 83.59 cm, then a manzana of 10,000 square varas is equal to 6,987.29 m². In calculations, the approximate value of 7000 m² (or equivalently 0.7 ha) is often used to simplify conversion.

Footnotes

^ While this map is not drawn to scale, the distribution and volume are consistent with the shape of the manzanas and buildings and the graphic scale is intuitively drawn based on the geography.

References

^ Statistical Office of the United Nations (1955). World weights and measures; handbook for statisticians (Provisional ed.). pp. 37, 50, 59, 70, 100. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
^ "manzana". Diccionario de la lengua española. Real Academia Española. Espacio urbano, edificado o destinado a la edificación, generalmente cuadrangular, delimitado por calles por todos sus lados.