Location vs. Place: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 26, 2023
Location is a specific point or position in physical space. Place is a location with meaning or value attached to it.
Key Differences
Location refers to a specific point or area in space, often defined by coordinates or a physical address. Place goes beyond mere geography to encompass the human experiences, meanings, and emotions associated with a location.
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Dec 26, 2023
While location is a factual, objective description of where something is situated, a place is subjective and imbued with personal, cultural, or historical significance. Location answers "where," while place answers "what" and "why."
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Dec 26, 2023
Locations can be pinpointed on a map with precision, focusing on spatial relationships. In contrast, places are understood through human experiences and perceptions, making them more than just a spot on a map.
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Dec 26, 2023
The concept of location is used in fields like geography and logistics for precise, unambiguous positioning. Place, however, is studied in human geography and sociology for its cultural and emotional aspects.
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Dec 26, 2023
Location can exist without human interaction, purely as a geographical point. A place, however, is created through human engagement, memories, and stories, giving it a unique character.
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Dec 26, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A specific point or area in space
A location imbued with human meaning
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Human Interaction
Not necessary for definition
Defined through human experiences
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Location and Place Definitions
Location
A place where something happens or is set.
The movie's location was a beautiful island.
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Place
A specific area or region with a particular character or use.
This place is known for its historical landmarks.
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Location
A set of coordinates or a specific address.
The GPS coordinates marked the location accurately.
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Dec 26, 2023
Place
A location considered in terms of its history or its inhabitants.
This place holds many memories for the locals.
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Dec 26, 2023
Location
A site or area designated for a particular purpose.
The company is opening a new location downtown.
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Place
An area used for a specified purpose.
Let's meet at our usual place in the park.
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Location
The act or process of locating
Location of the lost hikers took two days.
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Place
Room or space, especially adequate space
There is place for everyone at the back of the room.
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Location
A site away from a studio at which part or all of a movie is shot
Filming a Western on location in the Mexican desert.
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Place
The particular portion of space occupied by or allocated to a person or thing.
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Place
A building or an area set aside for a specified purpose
A place of worship.
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Location
(South Africa) An apartheid-era urban area populated by non-white people; township.
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Location
A contract for the use of a thing, or service of a person, for hire.
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Place
A space in which one person, such as a passenger or spectator, can sit or stand.
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Location
The marking out of the boundaries, or identifying the place or site of, a piece of land, according to the description given in an entry, plan, map, etc
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Location
(Kenya) An administrative region in Kenya, below counties and subcounties, and further divided into sublocations.
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Place
A position regarded as belonging to someone or something else; stead
She was chosen in his place.
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Place
A particular point that one has reached, as in a book
I have lost my place.
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Place
The proper or designated role or function
The place of the media in a free society.
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Place
The proper or customary position or order
These books are out of place.
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Location
A determination of the location of something;
He got a good fix on the target
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Location
A particular place or position.
We set up camp at a remote location.
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Location
The placement or arrangement in relation to other places.
The location of the store is convenient for customers.
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Place
The specified stage in a list of points to be made, as in an argument
In the first place.
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Place
To put in a specified relation or order
Place the words in alphabetical order.
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Place
To arrange for the publication or display of
Place an advertisement in the newspaper.
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Place
To identify or classify in a particular context
Could not place that person's face.
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Place
To be among those who finish a competition or race, especially to finish second.
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Place
An open space, particularly a city square, market square, or courtyard.
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Place
A street, sometimes but not always surrounding a public place, square, or plaza of the same name.
They live at Westminster Place.
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Place
Any area of the earth: a region.
He is going back to his native place on vacation.
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Place
The area one occupies, particularly somewhere to sit.
We asked the restaurant to give us a table with three places.
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Place
The area where one lives: one's home, formerly country estates and farms.
Do you want to come over to my place later?
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Place
A particular location in a book or document, particularly the current location of a reader.
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Place
A role or purpose; a station.
It is really not my place to say what is right and wrong in this case.
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Place
The position of a contestant in a competition.
We thought we would win but only ended up in fourth place.
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Place
(horse-racing) The position of first, second, or third at the finish, especially the second position.
To win a bet on a horse for place
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Place
The position as a member of a sports team.
He lost his place in the national team.
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Place
Numerically, the column counting a certain quantity.
Three decimal places;
The hundreds place
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Place
Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding.
That's what I said in the first place!
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Place
(transitive) To put (an object or person) in a specific location.
He placed the glass on the table.
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Place
(intransitive) To earn a given spot in a competition.
The Cowboys placed third in the league.
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Place
To finish second, especially of horses or dogs.
In the third race: Aces Up won, paying eight dollars; Blarney Stone placed, paying three dollars; and Cinnamon showed, paying five dollars.
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Place
To rank at (a certain position, often followed by an ordinal) as in a horse race.
Run Ragged was placed fourth in the race.
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Place
(transitive) To remember where and when (an object or person) has been previously encountered.
I've seen him before, but I can't quite place where.
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Place
(transitive) To arrange for or to make (a bet).
I placed ten dollars on the Lakers beating the Bulls.
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Place
(transitive) To recruit or match an appropriate person for a job, or a home for an animal for adoption, etc.
They phoned hoping to place her in the management team.
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Place
Any portion of space regarded as measured off or distinct from all other space, or appropriated to some definite object or use; position; ground; site; spot; rarely, unbounded space.
Here is the place appointed.
What place can be for usWithin heaven's bound?
The word place has sometimes a more confused sense, and stands for that space which any body takes up; and so the universe is a place.
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Place
A broad way in a city; an open space; an area; a court or short part of a street open only at one end.
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Place
A position which is occupied and held; a dwelling; a mansion; a village, town, or city; a fortified town or post; a stronghold; a region or country.
Are you native of this place?
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Oct 19, 2023
Place
Rank; degree; grade; order of priority, advancement, dignity, or importance; especially, social rank or position; condition; also, official station; occupation; calling.
Men in great place are thrice servants.
I know my place as I would they should do theirs.
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Oct 19, 2023
Place
Vacated or relinquished space; room; stead (the departure or removal of another being or thing being implied).
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Place
A definite position or passage of a document.
The place of the scripture which he read was this.
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Place
Ordinal relation; position in the order of proceeding; as, he said in the first place.
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Place
Reception; effect; - implying the making room for.
My word hath no place in you.
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Place
Position in the heavens, as of a heavenly body; - usually defined by its right ascension and declination, or by its latitude and longitude.
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Place
The position of first, second, or third at the finish, esp. the second position. In betting, to win a bet on a horse for place it must, in the United States, finish first or second, in England, usually, first, second, or third.
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Place
To assign a place to; to put in a particular spot or place, or in a certain relative position; to direct to a particular place; to fix; to settle; to locate; as, to place a book on a shelf; to place balls in tennis.
Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown.
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Oct 19, 2023
Place
To put or set in a particular rank, office, or position; to surround with particular circumstances or relations in life; to appoint to certain station or condition of life; as, in whatever sphere one is placed.
Place such over them to be rulers.
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Place
To put out at interest; to invest; to loan; as, to place money in a bank.
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Place
To determine or announce the place of at the finish. Usually, in horse racing only the first three horses are placed officially.
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Place
A point located with respect to surface features of some region;
This is a nice place for a picnic
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Place
Any area set aside for a particular purpose;
Who owns this place?
The president was concerned about the property across from the White House
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Place
An abstract mental location;
He has a special place in my thoughts
A place in my heart
A political system with no place for the less prominent groups
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Place
The function or position properly or customarily occupied or served by another;
Can you go in my stead?
Took his place
In lieu of
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Place
Where you live at a particular time;
Deliver the package to my home
He doesn't have a home to go to
Your place or mine?
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Place
The particular portion of space occupied by a physical object;
He put the lamp back in its place
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Place
Proper or designated social situation;
He overstepped his place
The responsibilities of a man in his station
Married above her station
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Place
A space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane);
He booked their seats in advance
He sat in someone else's place
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Place
Proper or appropriate position or location;
A woman's place is no longer in the kitchen
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Place
A public square with room for pedestrians;
They met at Elm Plaza
Grosvenor Place
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Place
An item on a list or in a sequence;
In the second place
Moved from third to fifth position
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Place
Put into a certain place or abstract location;
Put your things here
Set the tray down
Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children
Place emphasis on a certain point
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Place
Place somebody in a particular situation or location;
He was placed on probation
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Place
Assign a rank or rating to;
How would you rank these students?
The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide
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Place
Assign a location to;
The company located some of their agents in Los Angeles
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Place
Take a place in a competition; often followed by an ordinal;
Jerry came in third in the Marathon
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Place
Intend (something) to move towards a certain goal;
He aimed his fists towards his opponent's face
Criticism directed at her superior
Direct your anger towards others, not towards yourself
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Oct 19, 2023
Place
Recognize as being; establish the identity of someone or something;
She identified the man on the 'wanted' poster
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Place
Identify the location or place of;
We localized the source of the infection
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Place
Finish second or better in a horse or dog race;
He bet $2 on number six to place
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Place
A particular position or point in space.
She always had a special place in her heart for her hometown.
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Place
An area with a particular character or function.
This is the place where the treaty was signed.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
How does culture influence a place?
Culture adds meaning, stories, and significance to a place.
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What defines a location?
A location is defined by its specific geographical position.
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How is place different from location?
A place is a location imbued with meaning or emotional significance.
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Can a location become a place?
Yes, when people attach value or significance to it.
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Can a virtual space be a place?
Yes, if it holds significance or meaning to people.
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Dec 26, 2023
Is a city a location or a place?
It's both: a location in geographical terms and a place in cultural terms.
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Can location data be used for navigation?
Yes, location data is crucial for navigation using maps and GPS systems.
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Dec 26, 2023
Is GPS used to identify a location or a place?
GPS identifies a location by providing precise coordinates.
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How do maps represent locations and places?
Maps show locations physically; places are represented by names and symbols.
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Can you have multiple locations within one place?
Yes, a place can contain multiple specific locations, such as different landmarks or buildings.
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Do places change over time?
Yes, places can change due to human activities, development, or environmental factors.
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Dec 26, 2023
Is place a subjective concept?
Yes, individuals may perceive and experience a place differently based on their perspectives and memories.
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Can a place have multiple meanings?
Yes, depending on the experiences and perspectives of different people.
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Dec 26, 2023
What role do places play in literature and storytelling?
Places often serve as settings in literature and storytelling, influencing the narrative.
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Give examples of different types of places.
Examples include cities, parks, homes, historic sites, and natural landmarks.
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What tools are used to determine a location's coordinates?
Tools like GPS devices and geographic information systems (GIS) are used to determine coordinates.
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Dec 26, 2023
Is longitude and latitude used to identify locations?
Yes, longitude and latitude are common coordinates used to pinpoint locations on Earth.
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Dec 26, 2023
How are places named?
Places can be named based on historical events, local culture, geography, or individuals.
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Dec 26, 2023
Can places be both physical and abstract?
Yes, places can be physical, like a park, or abstract, like a "place in one's heart."
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Dec 26, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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