Cadet Competition Written Practice Exam

A nautical mile is how many feet?

1. 5,280

2. 6,000

3. 6,076

4. 7,200

The correct answer is: 6,076

A nautical mile is defined as the distance that corresponds to one minute of latitude on the Earth's surface. This is equivalent to approximately 1,852 meters or about 6,076.1 feet. The use of nautical miles is particularly important in maritime and aviation contexts, as it provides a standardized unit of measurement that relates directly to geographic coordinates. This is why truly navigational operations rely on nautical miles rather than standard miles or kilometers. This connection to Earth's geography is unique to nautical miles and emphasizes their importance in navigation, making the choice of 6,076 feet the correct answer in this context.