The are is a unit of area and is a non-SI but metric unit with the symbol a.
It measures exactly 100m² which is the equivalent to 0.0247 acres.
The are is the principle unit for measuring the size of land across the world.
The circular mil is a unit designed specifically to measure the area of a wire with a circular cross section. It has the symbol cmil.
An inch is 1000 mils. This makes the circular mil particularly useful for measuring cross sections of wire as there is no need to use the symbol π so the process is simplified.
A circular mil is a very small unit so not advised to use for large areas!