A pyramid is a solid all of whose faces, apart from the base, are triangular and meet at a point. The type of pyramid is determined by teh base. If the base is a rectangle, we say the pyramid is a rectangular pyramid. If the base is a square its is a square pyramid and so on.

To find the total surface area of a pyramid, first find the area of the base and then find the area of each triangular faces. The total surface area of the pyramid includes the area of the base and the area of all the triangular faces that make up the sides.

Remember that:

Area of a polygon	Area of a triangle

Consequently, the surface area of a pyramid is given by the formula: