Definition:Metric System/Length/Centimetre

Centimeter
The centimeter (UK English: centimetre) is the CGS base unit of length.

It was initially defined as $10^{-9}$ the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole at sea level, that is, $\frac 1 {100}$ the length of a meter.

Square Centimeter
The square centimeter is the CGS unit of area.

The symbol for the square centimeter is $\mathrm {cm}^2$ or (the informal and ugly) $\mathrm {sq}. \ \mathrm {cm}$.

Cubic Centimeter
The cubic centimeter is the CGS unit of volume.

The symbol for the cubic centimeter is $\mathrm {cm}^3$ or (informally) $\mathrm {cc}$.

Linguistic Note
The spelling centimetre is the one adopted by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. Centimeter is the variant used in standard American English, but see the linguistic note on meter.