A square kilometer (often abbreviated as km²) is a unit of area in the International System of Units (SI). It represents a square with sides that each measure 1 kilometer in length.
One square kilometer is equal to 1,000,000 square meters (m²) because there are 1,000 meters in a kilometer, and when you square that length, you get 1,000 * 1,000 = 1,000,000 square meters.
To visualize the size of a square kilometer, you can imagine a square plot of land, each side of which measures 1 kilometer (approximately 0.621 miles). It's a commonly used unit to measure land area, particularly in countries that use the metric system.