2. area

A. AREA refers to a region or space. In the mathematical field of geometry, area is the number of square units that a two-dimensional space occupies. Surface area is determined by measuring the areas of the individual sides of a solid object and adding them together.

Square footage is a figure that is often important in determining the value of a residence for real estate agents. There are several debatable points about determining residential square footage, one of which is the generally accepted guideline that prevents the square footage of a basement, regardless of its suitability as livable space, from being counted in the square footage figure. Attics and garages are not figured into square footage either.

As of 2007, commercial buildings in the world with the largest square footage of usable space were the Aalsmeer Flower Auction in the Netherlands, the Venetian Macao casino-resort in Macau, and the Asian Terminal Ltd. Logistics Centre in Hong Kong.With regard to geography, the smallest country in terms of area is Vatican City/The Holy See, the seat of power for Pope Benedict XVI and the Roman Catholic Church. The next four, from smallest to largest, are Monaco, Nauru, Tuvalu, and San Marino. Working in the other direction, the largest countries are Russia, Canada, the United States, China, and Brazil.

B. One famous regarded area in the United States is Area 51. Area 51 is the name provided to a remote section of southern Nevada often associated by conspiracy theorists with UFOs and other supernatural activity. While the U.S. military admits to operating Nellis Air Force Base in the area purported to be Area 51, they do not dignify inquiries into alien activity in the region. The secretive location is heavily patrolled by private security agents who routinely contact the local sheriff’s office to pick up trespassers who are curious enough to visit and take photographs, recordings, and video of the area.

C. “Area Man” is often used in the satirical newspaper The Onion, to spotlight fictional people involved in mundane, non-newsworthy events. Examples include “Area Man Consults Internet Whenever Possible,” “Area Man Well-Versed in First Thirds of Great Literature,” and “Area Man Confounded by Buffet Procedure.”