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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The metric system is a system of measurement that is used around the world. It developed from a system introduced by France in 1795. Before 1795 many towns in France had their own system of measurement. The metric system is based on decimals (units of ten). It was designed to have a logical structure.
By 1875 many countries in Europe and in Latin America had changed to using the metric system. In 1875 seventeen countries Metre Convention agreed to use the same standard as each other for their measurement systems. A new organization called the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) was set up. The reference standard that everybody used is kept at the BIPM headquarters.
In 1960 the metric system was given a new name - the International System of Units (which is often written "SI" for short).
In the 1970s many people in the United Kingdom and the rest of the Commonwealth started using the metric system at their places of work. The United States is the only major country where the metric system is not in widespread use.