Manzana (unit)

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. In other Spanish-speaking regions, the term has the meaning of a city block. 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.