Are

The are is a metric unit of area defined as 100 m² (a 10 m × 10 m square). It bridges the gap between the square meter and the hectare, offering a practical scale for describing small parcels and gardens.

Etymologically, are comes from Latin area (“level ground, open space”). Introduced with early metric reforms (late 18th–early 19th century), it helped unify land measurement across regions that previously used diverse local units.

Land and real estate. Ares are commonly used to describe small parcels (e.g., gardens, allotments, urban lots). A typical community‑garden plot might be 2–6 ares (200–600 m²).

Urban planning and cadastre. For parcel registers and taxation, sub‑hectare lots are conveniently recorded in ares because the values are small integers and easy to visualize (10 m × 10 m blocks).

Agriculture and landscaping. Field edges, test plots, or landscaping segments are often specified in ares when areas are smaller than a hectare but larger than a few square meters.

In GIS and remote sensing, the are provides a human‑readable scale for parcel‑level analysis: raster cells or vector polygons can be aggregated to ares for reporting small patches (e.g., urban greens, restoration plots).

In environmental monitoring, ares are used to quantify micro‑habitats, buffer strips, and experimental plots where 100 m² resolution strikes a balance between detail and interpretability.

The are is a metric unit outside SI. Its multiple, the hectare (ha), is a non‑SI unit accepted for use with the SI. The symbol is a. In modern practice, the hectare is preferred for large tracts, while the are remains useful for small parcels; by definition an are corresponds to exactly 100 square meters.