1,852 meters is the International Nautical Mile. Quoting Bowditch:
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Originally Posted by The American Practical Navigator
Because of various lengths of the nautical mile in use throughout the world, due to differences in definition and the assumed size and shape of the earth, the International Hydrographic Bureau in 1929 proposed a standard length of 1,852 meters, which is known as the International Nautical Mile. This has been adopted by nearly all maritime nations.
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However:
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Originally Posted by The American Practical Navigator
For practical consideration it is usually considered the length of 1 minute of any great circle of the earth, the meridian being the great circle most commonly used.
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I can tell you that most navigators I have corresponded with and most texts on navigation I have read (which is more than a few, in both cases) treat the nautical mile as equal to 1 arc minute of a great circle. It's the most convenient and natural option when it comes to
practical navigation.
Most navigators also use the abbreviation "nm". When we're talking about navigation, no one gets confused. As one friend put it:
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From a practical standpoint, it occurs to me that anyone likely to mistake the two in a given context probably shouldn't be on the water in the first place.
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