Difference Between Location and Place

Location vs Place
 

Let’s go to my place. This is generally what one in the gang would say to take all friends to his home. He is referring to his home when he makes use of the word place, but if the same person tells a friend where in the city his home is situated, he is actually talking about the location of the house in the city. However, the difference between location and place is not that simple. This article attempts to highlight the differences between location and place.

Location

Location is a word that describes where a physical structure is, in either specific or general terms. Specific location is referred in the address of the place. For example, when you talk about the location of your house, you can talk in terms of its number along with the name of the street on which it is situated. Another way of describing the specific location is to talk in terms of the coordinates of the place. If you tell the longitude and latitude coordinates, it becomes easy for a student of geography to visualize the location of your house in the city. Specific location tells exactly where the place is situated in a particular area or city.

There is another way of telling the location of a place, and that is talking about a milestone that may be adjacent or opposite to the place, known to most people in the city. For example, if there is a famous hospital or church in front of your house, you can tell others the general location of your house in terms of that hospital or church. Thus, we see that location can be absolute (as when talking in terms of coordinates) and relative (as when talking in terms of a building close by if it is very famous).

Place

If you are talking about a place, you are much more interested in physical description of the structure than its coordinates. What it is that makes the place different from other places like a school, bank, or a market. It is natural for people to start comparing one place with another to make a mental judgment. Physical characteristics become important when talking about a place as when you are trying to describe a mountain resort to a friend. Apart from physical characteristics, there are also human characteristics that become important when talking about a place as some unique customs and traditions, cuisine, dress, or even modes of transportation that make a place different from other places.