Area is the amount of space that a 2D shape takes up. It tells you how much surface area the shape takes up and is most often calculated in square units, like square centimeters (cm²), square meters (m²), or square inches (in²). For example, if you are painting a rectangular wall, the area tells you how much paint you will use to cover it. Different shapes have different formulas to calculate area for example, the area of a rectangle is length × width, and the area of a triangle is ½ × base × height.