How many years make up a century?

A century is a period of 100 years. The word comes from the Latin term “centuria”, which means “a group of 100”. It is used in both historical and calendar contexts to represent a specific time frame.

How Does a Century Work in the Gregorian Calendar?

The Gregorian calendar is the calendar system used by most of the world today. In this system:

• A century spans 100 years and is typically numbered based on the starting year of that period.
• For example, the 20th century spanned from January 1, 1901, to December 31, 2000.

Why is it “100 Years” and Not Another Number?

The 100-year period is a way to organize time into manageable blocks. This is partly due to the decimal system, which is based on multiples of ten. It also fits with the historical and cultural traditions of marking milestones in groups of 100 for easier reference.

Centuries in History

• Each century is usually named according to the first year of that century. So, the first century (1st century) began in 1 AD and ended in 100 AD.
• The 2nd century began in 101 AD and ended in 200 AD, and so on.
• When we talk about centuries in history, we often refer to specific centuries by their numerical names. For example:
  • The 19th century refers to the years 1801–1900.
  • The 20th century refers to 1901–2000.
  • The 21st century refers to 2001–2100.

How Does Century Numbering Work?

• The century numbering system might seem a little confusing because the century number is always one more than the last year of that century.
  • 1st century: 1 AD to 100 AD
  • 2nd century: 101 AD to 200 AD
  • 21st century: 2001 AD to 2100 AD

  The year 2000 technically belongs to the 20th century, and the year 2001 marks the start of the 21st century.

Special Considerations

• Leap Years: A century year (like 1900, 2100, etc.) is only a leap year if it’s divisible by 400. This is why 1900 was not a leap year, but 2000 was.

Summary of Century Breakdown:

1. 1st century: 1 to 100
2. 2nd century: 101 to 200
3. 3rd century: 201 to 300
4. And so on…

The century number always refers to the 100 years beginning from 1 of the first year in the century.

Fun Fact

• The millennium is a 1,000-year period, which consists of 10 centuries.

So when someone says, “It’s been a century,” they are referring to a period of 100 years—a long span of time that helps us understand history, events, and cultural changes more clearly!