ARDROS'SAN (Gael. ard, high + rossan, point). A small seaport town and summer re sort in Ayrshire, Scotland, on the Firth of Clyde, about 30 miles southwest of Glasgow (Map: Scotland, D 4). lts harbor, sheltered by an island off the coast, is one of the safest and most accessible on the west coast of Scotland, and has been greatly improved by the earls of Eglinton. There is a large export of coal and pig iron from this place, and ship-building is carried en to a considerable extent. On a hill above the town stand the ruins of Ardrossan Castle, said to have been surprised by Wallace when held by the forces of Edward 1. Population of the police burgh in 1901, 5933.
ARE, hr (Lat. area, piece of level ground). The unit of the French laud measure; a square, the side of which is 10 metres (or 32.809 feet) long, and which, therefore, contains 100 square metres = 1076 English square feet. The next de nomination in the scale is the decare, containing 10 ares; but the denomination com monly used in describing a quantity of land is the hectare of 100 ares = 2.47 English statute or
imperial acres. See METRIC SYSTEM.
AREA (Lat., piece of level ground, vacant place). The superfices of any bounded surface or space. The calculation of areas, or mensuration of surfaces, is one of the ultimate objects of geometry. Area is commonly measured by a square unit, as the square inch, square yard, square metre, square degree. (See MENSURATION ; and QUADRATURE. ) antiquity this word meant any space free of buildings, such as a square, inclosure, court, arena of a circus, space around a temple or any other public building. In this connection, the area was consecrated ground. So, in connection with early Christian churches there were areas protected by law, in which the faithful were buried. The modern use of the word is restricted to the open space of a narrow front yard or back court, or in connection with a basement.