Convert Are (a) to Section (section) instantly.
About these units
Are (a)
An are is a metric land unit equal to 100 m², originally invented during the development of the metric system but now largely overshadowed by the hectare (100 ares). Although rarely used independently in modern measurement, the are survives in real estate transactions in parts of Europe, where small land parcels—such as garden plots or rural homesteads—may be expressed in ares. It remains important historically, as it served as a transitional unit bridging the earliest metric innovations with modern large-scale land measurement practices.
Section (section)
A section is a unit of area equal to one square mile, or 640 acres, derived from the PLSS township system. Each township contains 36 sections arranged in a 6-by-6 grid. Sections were historically granted to settlers, railroads, and states for development, education funding, and agricultural expansion. Because a section is large but manageable, it provided a logical unit for dividing land among homesteaders. Even today, the section persists as a foundation of rural property boundaries. Many farms, ranches, and municipal boundaries reference section lines, reflecting how 19th-century surveying still shapes 21st-century land use.