The square metre is a unit of area and is an SI derived unit with the symbol m².
It was introduced in 1954 when the International System of Units was established and was derived directly from one of the original 6 base units - the metre (m).
It can be prefixed with any of the SI symbols that multiply it up or down such as km² (square kilometre) or µm2 (square micrometre). It is the most commonly used unit of area and is recognised all over the world.
The square yard is a unit of area and is an imperial unit with the symbol ya².
One square yard is equal in area to a square with edges one yard in length. It also equals 1,296 in² and ≈ 0.836 m².
The square yard is a common unit of measurement in the UK and US.