@CatLord One metre is about one ancient greek stadia, or about 5&1/2 feet, the distance a 5-6' man will stride or 2 & 1/2 steps therefore the smallest denomination of distance for a unit of marching men.
Napoleon Bonaparte was the patron of the Metric system, and paid for mathematicians to to calculate sin, tangent and cosin logimetaries down to fractions of a fraction so his warfare could be carefully examined and mistakes corrected upon.
Centimetre is also the perfect measurement for artillery and large bore weapons, since the ammunition is clear and unambiguous, a 10 or a 72 with the smaller rounds being a clear subspecies of 9mm.
Litres and Centilitres are based around the properties of water as a differential to other then poorly understood chemicals,
A mile is the distance that a grown man can comfortably walk without shoes or protection from the elements.
An Acre is the general amount of cereal crop a small family can maintain and harvest without outside help.
A country mile is the general distance a head of cattle will be able to walk without getting fussy.
An Inch is the phalange of a grown man's thumb
A foot is a grown man's foot.
A pound is the general human consensus of how much cereal generations of women accept as the acceptable minimum to take out of their store, without risking opening it too often and allowing vermin access to the store.
A pint is the right amount of beer a man ought to drink, also the exact amount of liquid a new born baby needs to drink in fluids each day (586ml per day)
A Gallon is the right balance a grown man can carry in each hand without it being too heavy or too light that it splashes out of either bucket.
TL;DR: the Imperial system is the legacy of mothers and fathers optimising their lives, doing their best and loving life. The Metric system is mired in blood and woe, the butcher's bill of the horror that we now call reality.