The words, location and place can be confused very well. If someone has to find a difference between these two terms, they can get lost in the loop as their meanings are almost similar.
But somehow, we can find many differences if we look at the terms closely.
Key Takeaways
- Place refers to a specific point or area that has a meaning or significance to individuals or groups.
- Location refers to a position or point in physical space, defined by coordinates or an address.
- The place is subjective and has cultural and emotional connotations, while the Location is objective and can be measured and located on a map.
Place vs Location
A place refers to a specific area or region that is defined by its physical, social, or cultural characteristics, and can be a physical location or a conceptual space that has meaning or significance to people. Location refers to the specific position of an object, place, or phenomenon in space.
A place can be defined as literally as well as metaphorically. It can be referred to as a physical space, a situation or even a position of anything.
Thus, this single word has many connotations. It can be a passage from a book, the state of one’s mind, to put someone in a specific position, to make a bet or recruit someone for a job.
On the other hand, the word location points to a specific place or a physical piece of land. Its meaning cannot be taken on a metaphorical level.
Thus, location is a place that can be spotted or located. A location can be one’s house, office, school, space centre or even a restaurant.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Place | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The word ‘place’ refers to physical space as well as a situation and a mental state of mind. | The word ‘location’ refers to a place in its physical sense. |
| Types | Places can be of many types. | Location is of two types- absolute and relative |
| Can it be located | It can be located if it is a physical space. But it cannot be located if it is referring to something figuratively. | Yes. |
| Levels of meaning | The place has two layers of meaning- literal and metaphorical. | Location is only on the literal level. |
| Use | Broader sense | Narrow way |
What is Place?
The word ‘place’ can be defined as a spot or space in the physical sense of the word. It may refer to a building, a town, a fortress, a church or an open space.
But its meaning is not restricted to that. It can refer to a situation or circumstance one has been placed into.
A place can also be a person’s present state of mind or even the situation he or she is going through. In a geographical sense, one can refer to the land as a place when the factors or characteristics of it make it natural or human-made.
Thus, the place has no specific limitation attached to it. Usually, the word ‘place’ refers to a building, house or dwelling place, a town or a village. If someone says, “Let’s go to a movie”, he or she might be referring to going to a theatre to watch a movie.
However, a place can also mean a number’s position in the number system. On the other hand, if someone says, “ If you were in my place, you would have surely got my point”, he or she does not refer to the place he or she is standing.
They refer to their mental state of being. Thus, the meaning of the word ‘place’ can only be understood when placed in a sentence.
What is Location?
Compared to the word ‘place’, location has a specific meaning. It can be defined as somewhere a place is. Thus, the location is precise and particular.
Like a place, it does not have too many connotations. It is singularly associated with a physical space, not the state of someone’s mind.
There are two kinds of location -absolute and relative. Absolute location is the exact location of a place. It is measured by using longitude and latitudes.
Longitudes are imaginary lines that run north and south. These lines meet at the North and South Poles. Longitude lines are referred to as indicators.
Latitude lines, on the other hand, are imaginary lines that run east and west. These lines are parallel and never touch another latitude line.
Latitude lines are sometimes referred to as parallels. Relative location describes or compares the location of two places. It is measured by using a compass.
Location means a particular place, position or area. It also indicates the fact that it is something that can be traced. Unlike place, its meaning cannot be implied.
It has to be taken literally. Thus, it can be said that the location is used in a narrow sense as compared to place.
Main Differences Between Place and Location
- While the word ‘place’ can refer to a physical or mental space, ‘location’ is defined as a particular piece of land.
- The word ‘place’ covers a lot of meanings. Thus, it is used as a broader term. On the other hand, location means something specific.
- There can be many kinds of places – living place, position, a building, a circumstance. There are two types of location- absolute and relative.
- ‘Place’ does not include technical terms like longitude and latitude. But location involves coordinates as it is something that needs to be located.
- Location, on the other hand, never points towards a situation or the mental state of a person. But the word ‘place’ can refer to that.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14036090410021360
- https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1470593113492992
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
This article makes some valid points, but I’m not sure the distinction between place and location is as clear as the article suggests.
The article provides some good information, but I think it could go even more in-depth on the differences.
I agree, the article covers a lot, but there’s always room for more detail.
I think the level of detail is just right. This isn’t an academic paper, after all.
The comparison table is particularly helpful in understanding the differences between place and location.
I found this article ironic in a way – it’s discussing the differences between place and location, yet it feels like we’re really discussing the same thing.
This is an interesting perspective on the differences between location and place. It’s amazing to think about the various meanings of the term ‘place’.
I had never thought too deeply about the concept of place, but this article made me think about it in a new way.
I learned a lot from this article. I never realized the difference between place and location was so significant.