title: How Do I Calculate the Area of a Polygon in a MySQL Database When the Polygon's Points are Lat Longs?
body: <p>How do I calculate the area of a polygon stored in a MySql database? The polygons' points are lat longs. So, degrees and minutes seem to be causing a problem.</p>
  
  <p>I've tried: </p>
  
  <pre><code>SELECT AREA( my_polygon ) 
  FROM  `my_table` 
  WHERE name =  'Newport'
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Because, the points are lat longs, I get weird results. </p>
  
  <p>(I'm not able to switch to Postgre). Is there a way to do this in MySQL? I'd like to get the results in sq. meters or sq. km or sq. miles-- any of these would be fine. </p>