It’s hard to find something that’s actually 1000 meters long unless you consider roads and the world’s tallest waterfalls. 1000 meters is the equivalent of one kilometer, 0.62 miles, and 3281 feet. It takes around 12 minutes to walk a full kilometer at a moderate pace and less than 5 minutes if running. If you want to estimate how long that distance is, here are nine things that are 1000 meters long.
1. 3 Towers
For the longest time now, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai has been the tallest building in the world at 828 meters. This is about to change as Saudi Arabia launches their 1000 meters Jeddah Tower soon. However, an average tower like Central Plaza, Eiffel Tower, Aspire Towers, and Empire State Building is approximately 300 meters long. This means you would need three of those to make a kilometer.
2. 9 Football Fields
According to the National Football League, an American football field should measure 109.7 meters from end to end. A soccer field is also about that length. The goalposts are usually located on the far-end sides of the field.
That explains why footballers are so sweaty after a game. If you can imagine 9 of those football fields arranged one after another in a straight line, that is how long 1000 meters is.
3. 20 Olympic Size Swimming Pools
There are two types of Olympic size swimming pools. One is called the long course, which is 50 meters in length, and the other one is the short course, normally 25 meters long. Dont confuse this with the average home pool, which is about 7 to 9 meters long.
20 long course Olympic swimming pools would make up a kilometer or 20 complete laps for a professional swimmer. Olympic swimmers usually do 30 laps to make 1500 meters.
4. 1000 Big Steps
Did you know one big human step is exactly one meter if you are 6ft tall? This guy would need to make a thousand of those steps to reach 1000 meters. If you wonder how long that would take, it’s 10 minutes if you don’t stop to rest. A baby’s step is half a meter, so they need 2000 big steps to reach 1000 meters.
5. 83 Telephone Poles
The standard utility pole in the USA is about 40 ft. or 12meters long, and 2 meters is hidden in the ground. However, some poles can reach a height of 37 meters or even more to satisfy clearance requirements if trees or buildings are around. To reach 1000 meters, you would need 83 standard telephone poles lined up in a straight line.
6. 8 Baseball Fields
The distance from the home plate to the center-field wall in baseball is 400 ft. or 122 meters, according to Major Leagues Baseball. Some are longer, but that is the minimum. If you are sitting in a stadium watching a baseball game, imagine that distance times 8. That is what would make a kilometer.
7. 67 Semi Trailers
A semi-trailer, also known as an eighteen-wheeler or big rig, is a 14.63 meters long truck. These vehicles are allowed by the United States DOT to tow up to 36,000 kg of gross weight, which makes them monster vehicles. If you can imagine 67 of those semi-trailers heading to Texas back to back, that’s what 1000 meters look like.
8. 400 Walls from Floor to Ceiling
If you live in a city apartment or an average house, your walls from floor to ceiling are probably 8 ft. or 2.4 meters long. 400 of those walls put together will make up 1000 meters. Years ago, all interior walls were 10 ft. tall from floor to ceiling, which is why older buildings feel so spacious. In the age of skyscrapers and fitting as many floors as possible in one building, that height has been taken down two feet.
9. 3 Cruise Ships
If you have never boarded a cruise ship or seen one up-close, it is humongous at over 300 meters in length. The biggest cruise ship globally is known as the Symphony of the Seas, and its 362 meters long and has a 9,000 passenger capacity. However, regular cruise ships are a little over 300 meters, which means three of them make up a full kilometer.
Conclusion
If you are contemplating running or walking 1000 meters, these nine things should give you a mental picture of how long that will be. However, the easiest way to figure out the distance is just to go ahead and take the walk.
The dimension of stuff has been an interest of mine ever since I was a child. What I believe is most fascinating about the dimension of stuff is how extremely long, tall and wide some objects are both on earth and in the universe.