500 meters is equivalent to 546.8 yards or 0.5 kilometers.
How far is that? It’s a fairly long distance to imagine or visualize.
With that said, it can be helpful to compare it to items that are approximately that size – good luck finding a better way!
This post covers 8 well-known items to give you a better sense of the size and scale of 500 meters. While some are incomparable to 500 meters, we’ll guide you on how you can still use them.
8 Well-known Things to Visualize 500 Meters
1. 5 Soccer Fields for International Matches
Soccer fields are excellent for understanding small distances of 100 meters to as long as 1000 feet as they are well-known, thanks to soccer being a popular sport played at all levels, from school to international competitions.
However, the football fields are not uniform, with FIFA allowing for anything between 90 to 120 meters long. And those for international matches, in particular, are usually about 103 meters long.
That means if you can visualize five international soccer fields, you’d get a solid idea of a place as far as 500 meters.
2. Ten International-level Swimming Pools
Swimming is popular in the United States. It’s both a recreational activity and a competitive sport.
If you enjoy swimming or swimming competitions and have attended an international swimming competition, say the Olympics, world championships, or other swim club competitions, you know those pools are way larger than those found in residential areas.
As a rule, pools for international competitions are usually 50 meters long. So you need to imagine how long ten would be when placed side by side.
3. Washington Memorial
Located at National Mall in Washington, D.C., the Washington memorial is one of the most celebrated sights in the country, thanks to the breathtaking views it offers visitors.
The Washington memorial stands 555 ft(169.164 meters) from the ground. Thus, 500 meters is as far as the distance between three lying down.
4. One and a Half Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a technological masterpiece in construction history, located in Paris, France. It’s one of the most remarkable landmarks ever built and a representative of the unique character of Paris.
If you’ve visited the site, you must have been struck by how long it is, standing 1,083 (330 meters) feet from the ground. And if you can visualize one and a half Eiffel Towers lying down (495 meters), you’d get a better idea of how far 500 meters is.
5. CN Tower Minus Olympic-size Pool
Also known as the Canadian tower, the CN tower is a telecommunications and tourism tower located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The CN Tower was once the tallest freestanding t building in the world, standing at 1,815 feet (553 meters) until it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in 2007.
So since you already know the size of an Olympic-level swimming pool, you can imagine subtracting its length from the height of the CN tower to get something about 500 meters.
6. 5 100-meter Dashes
The 100-meter dash is a track and field sprint race where athletes run a distance of 100 meters (328 feet) as fast as they can.
Like major sports, the event is included in all levels of competitions, high school, colleges, universities, and professional competitions, so chances are you’re familiar with it.
As the name implies, all competitive 100-meter dashes are equal, measuring 100 meters long. So if you can visualize the length five would cover, you’d have a solid reference point to understand how long 500 meters is.
7. 21 Tennis Courts
Right up there with 100-meter dashes, tennis is a much-beloved sport in the United States and one of the most popular, played at all levels. So chances are you’re familiar with tennis, including the size of the court.
While the width of tennis courts varies in the USA, the length remains the same at 23.77 meters. That means if you can picture the distance 21 courts would cover placed end to end, you’d realize something just short of our mark (499.17 meters). Of course, it’s a challenge to imagine such a situation, but this practical guide on visualizing distances can come in handy.
8. 17 Basketball Courts
Ranked the third most viewed sport in the United States, you can guess how popular basketball is. It is also in the same class as tennis, football, and 100-meter dash events when you think of sports played at all levels.
Basketball court size varies with the league as well as the level of play. However, the variations are slight. The most recognizable are those for NBA, WNBA, and high schools, usually about 28 meters long.
Therefore, visualizing the distance 17 basketball courts would cover when arranged end to end gives you about 487 meters, not far from our mark. But like the case of using tennis courts, you’ll need to up your visual skills with the mentioned guide.
