In the context of land surveying and property descriptions in the United States, a "section" refers to a specific unit of land division. It is part of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), which was established to survey and divide land in the United States, particularly in the western and central parts of the country.
An "are" (symbol: a) is a unit of area that is not part of the International System of Units (SI) but is used in some countries, particularly in Europe, for measuring land areas. One are is equal to 100 square meters (m²).
To put it simply, 1 are is equivalent to a square with sides that each measure 10 meters. It is a relatively convenient unit for measuring smaller land areas, such as gardens, small fields, or land plots, where using square meters might result in large numbers.
Here are some additional conversions to provide context:
For example, if you have a piece of land that is 5 ares in size, it would be equivalent to 500 square meters (5 ares * 100 m²/are = 500 m²).