Century length

Sanskrit word Shatabdi is used for century. It originated from Sanskrit शतक’ ( Shatak) , via Latin ‘ centura or centum’. Shatabdi is a combination of Shata+Abda. Shata is a short of Shataka ( hundred) and Abda – a ‘year’.

The first century refers to the first 100 years with a start date of approximately the date of birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

• 1 century is equivalent to 10 decades
• A century is equivalent to a period of 100 years
• A decade is equivalent to a period of 10 years
• 1 decade is equivalent to 0.1 century

In contemporary use, a century is popularly calculated as beginning in a year that ends with ‘00,’ whereas the traditional system designates the ‘00’ year as the final year of a century.

• The 1st Century was defined from the Year 1 to the Year 100
• The 2nd Century was defined from 101 to 200
• The 20th Century was defined from 1901 to 2000
• The 21st Century is defined from 2001 to 2100

The first century ended on December 31, AD 100. The second century began on Jan. 1, AD 101.