To find the area of the figure, we need to divide it into smaller rectangles and squares, and then sum their areas.
First, we can divide the figure into two rectangles, as shown:
```
+----+----+----+----+----+
| | | | | |
| | | | | |
+----+----+----+----+----+
| | | |
| | | |
+---------+---------+-----+
```
The left rectangle has dimensions 3 cm × 2 cm, so its area is:
A1 = 3 cm × 2 cm = 6 square cm
The right rectangle has dimensions 6 cm × 2 cm, so its area is:
A2 = 6 cm × 2 cm = 12 square cm
Now we can divide the left rectangle into two squares and a rectangle, as shown:
```
+----+----+----+
| | | |
| | | |
+----+----+----+
| | |
| | |
+----+---------+
| |
| |
+--------------+
```
The top square has dimensions 2 cm × 2 cm, so its area is:
A3 = 2 cm × 2 cm = 4 square cm
The bottom square has dimensions 1 cm × 1 cm, so its area is:
A4 = 1 cm × 1 cm = 1 square cm
The remaining rectangle has dimensions 2 cm × 1 cm, so its area is:
A5 = 2 cm × 1 cm = 2 square cm
Finally, we can add up the areas of all the rectangles and squares to get the total area of the figure:
A = A1 + A2 + A3 + A4 + A5 = 6 cm^2 + 12 cm^2 + 4 cm^2 + 1 cm^2 + 2 cm^2 = 25 square cm
Therefore, the area of the figure is 25 square centimeters.