The square centimetre is a unit of area and is a multiple of the square metre; an SI derived unit. It has the symbol cm².
A square centimetre is equal to the area of a square with edges 1cm long. There are 10,000 square centimetres in a square metre.
It is often used to describe areas smaller than 1m² - including much work in classrooms on paper.
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.