Location vs. Position — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 31, 2023
Location refers to a specific place or setting, while position is a place or the arrangement in a location, sequence, or area.
Difference Between Location and Position
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Location is a term used to specify a particular place or geographical area. It has a physical context, like an address or GPS coordinates. Position, on the other hand, refers to the arrangement or orientation of an object or person within a particular location. It indicates a relative place or stance within a framework or system. In geography, location can be absolute, while position is relative to other points.
Each location has its unique characteristics, such as climate or cultural significance. In contrast, a position within that location can be mobile or subject to change, like the position of a chair in a room. While location is static, describing where something is situated, position can also imply role or rank within a social or professional hierarchy.
Location often denotes a broader context and is used in various disciplines, from real estate to technology. Position, while it also has broad applications, tends to be more specific, describing where something or someone is placed or stands in relation to others. In chess, the position of a piece is critical, but its location is simply the board.
Understanding the location is key to logistics and travel, where pinpointing the exact place is necessary. For position, it is about the specific place or condition within a larger context. A product's position in a marketplace doesn't refer to its physical location but to its comparative status among competitors.
Location and position both provide information about place, but their applications differ. Location is about ‘where’ in a spatial sense, while position is about ‘where’ in relation to other entities or within a particular system or set of conditions.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A place or setting
The place or arrangement within a location
Context
Geographical or physical space
Relative arrangement or status
Mobility
Generally fixed
Can be changed or dynamic
Usage
Broader context, often absolute
Specific context, often relative
Implication
Physical space
Status, condition, or orientation
Compare with Definitions
Location
A specific place or area.
The location of the new restaurant is downtown.
Position
A particular way in which someone or something is placed or arranged.
The dancer held her position until the next cue.
Location
A position or site occupied by something.
They marked the location of the buried treasure on the map.
Position
A role, status, or stance adopted in relation to a particular matter.
His position on the issue was clear and firm.
Location
The setting or environment of an event or activity.
The film's location was on a remote island.
Position
A place or location.
Location
A place where something is situated or occurs.
The exact location of the fault line was identified by geologists.
Position
The right or appropriate place
The bands are in position for the parade's start.
Location
A business or place where professional activities occur.
She went to the bank's main location to open an account.
Position
A strategic area occupied by members of a force
The troops took up positions along the river.
Location
In geography, location or place are used to denote a region (point, line, or area) on Earth’s surface or elsewhere. The term location generally implies a higher degree of certainty than place, the latter often indicating an entity with an ambiguous boundary, relying more on human or social attributes of place identity and sense of place than on geometry.
Position
The way in which something is placed
The position of the clock's hands.
Location
A particular place or position
The property is set in a convenient location
Position
The arrangement of body parts; posture
A standing position.
Location
An area where black South Africans were obliged by apartheid laws to live, usually on the outskirts of a town or city. The term was later replaced by township.
Position
In ballet, any of the five arrangements of the arms and feet in which the legs are turned out from the pelvis.
Location
The act or process of locating
Location of the lost hikers took two days.
Position
An advantageous place or location
Jockeys maneuvering for position.
Location
A place where something is or could be located; a site.
Position
A situation as it relates to the surrounding circumstances
In a position to bargain.
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.
Position
A point of view or attitude on a certain question
The mayor's position on taxes.
Location
A tract of land that has been surveyed and marked off.
Position
Social standing or status; rank.
Location
A particular point or place in physical space.
Position
A post of employment; a job.
Location
An act of locating.
Position
(Sports) The area for which a particular player is responsible.
Location
(South Africa) An apartheid-era urban area populated by non-white people; township.
Position
The arrangement of the pieces or cards at any particular time in a game such as chess, checkers, or bridge.
Location
(legal) A leasing on rent.
Position
The act or process of positing.
Location
A contract for the use of a thing, or service of a person, for hire.
Position
A principle or proposition posited.
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
Position
A commitment to buy or sell a given amount of securities or commodities.
Location
(Kenya) An administrative region in Kenya, below counties and subcounties, and further divided into sublocations.
Position
The amount of securities or commodities held by a person, firm, or institution.
Location
The act or process of locating.
Position
The ownership status of a person's or institution's investments.
Location
Situation; place; locality.
Position
To put in place or position.
Location
That which is located; a tract of land designated in place.
Position
To determine the position of; locate.
Location
A leasing on rent.
Position
A place or location.
Location
A point or extent in space
Position
A post of employment; a job.
Location
The act of putting something in a certain place or location
Position
A status or rank.
Chief of Staff is the second-highest position in the army.
Location
A determination of the location of something;
He got a good fix on the target
Position
An opinion, stand, or stance.
My position on this issue is unchanged.
Position
A posture.
Stand in this position, with your arms at your side.
Position
(figurative) A situation suitable to perform some action.
The school is not in a position to provide day-care after 4:00 pm.
Position
(team sports) A place on the playing field, together with a set of duties, assigned to a player.
Stop running all over the field and play your position!
Position
(finance) An amount of securities, commodities, or other financial instruments held by a person, firm, or institution.
Long position
Naked position
Position
(finance) A commitment, or a group of commitments, such as options or futures, to buy or sell a given amount of financial instruments, such as securities, currencies or commodities, for a given price.
Position
(arithmetic) A method of solving a problem by one or two suppositions; also called the rule of trial and error.
Position
(chess) The full state of a chess game at any given turn.
Position
(poker) The order in which players are seated around the table.
Position
To put into place.
Position
The state of being posited, or placed; the manner in which anything is placed; attitude; condition; as, a firm, an inclined, or an upright position.
We have different prospects of the same thing, according to our different positions to it.
Position
The spot where a person or thing is placed or takes a place; site; place; station; situation; as, the position of man in creation; the fleet changed its position.
Position
Hence: The ground which any one takes in an argument or controversy; the point of view from which any one proceeds to a discussion; also, a principle laid down as the basis of reasoning; a proposition; a thesis; as, to define one's position; to appear in a false position.
Let not the proof of any position depend on the positions that follow, but always on those which go before.
Position
Relative place or standing; social or official rank; as, a person of position; hence, office; post; as, to lose one's position.
Position
A method of solving a problem by one or two suppositions; - called also the rule of trial and error.
Position
To indicate the position of; to place.
Position
The particular portion of space occupied by a physical object;
He put the lamp back in its place
Position
A point occupied by troops for tactical reasons
Position
A way of regarding situations or topics etc.;
Consider what follows from the positivist view
Position
Position or arrangement of the body and its limbs;
He assumed an attitude of surrender
Position
The relative position or standing of things or especially persons in a society;
He had the status of a minor
The novel attained the status of a classic
Atheists do not enjoy a favorable position in American life
Position
A job in an organization;
He occupied a post in the treasury
Position
The spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated;
The position of the hands on the clock
He specified the spatial relations of every piece of furniture on the stage
Position
The appropriate or customary location;
The cars were in position
Position
(in team sports) the role assigned to an individual player;
What position does he play?
Position
The act of putting something in a certain place or location
Position
A condition or position in which you find yourself;
The unpleasant situation (or position) of having to choose between two evils
Found herself in a very fortunate situation
Position
An item on a list or in a sequence;
In the second place
Moved from third to fifth position
Position
A rationalized mental attitude
Position
An opinion that is held in opposition to another in an argument or dispute;
There are two sides to every question
Position
The function or position properly or customarily occupied or served by another;
Can you go in my stead?
Took his place
In lieu of
Position
The act of positing; an assumption taken as a postulate or axiom
Position
Cause to be in an appropriate place, state, or relation
Position
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
Position
A place where someone or something is located or has been put.
The position of the vase on the mantle was asymmetrical.
Position
A job or role occupied by someone.
She was offered a position in the company's marketing department.
Position
A point in a sequence or in a ranking system.
He finished the race in third position.
Common Curiosities
Is location used in navigation?
Yes, location is commonly used in navigation to determine a place.
Is GPS associated with location or position?
GPS is associated with location, giving specific coordinates.
Can position refer to an opinion or stance?
Yes, position can also describe someone's stance on an issue.
Does location always refer to a physical place?
Yes, location typically refers to a specific physical place.
Can position change without changing location?
Yes, an object's position can change within the same location.
Are map coordinates an example of location or position?
They are an example of location, providing a precise place.
Can position be used in a social context?
Yes, position can denote a person's social status or job role.
Does position affect the performance in sports?
Yes, an athlete's position can be crucial to their performance.
Is location important in real estate?
Yes, location is a critical factor in the value of real estate.
Does 'top position' refer to location?
No, it typically refers to ranking or status, not a physical place.
Can someone's position in a company be equated to their location?
No, position in a company refers to their role, not their physical location.
Can the position of a mobile phone be tracked?
Yes, the position within a network can be tracked, not just its location.
Can a virtual meeting have a location?
Yes, it can have a digital location, like a URL, rather than a physical one.
Does location have a psychological aspect?
Not usually, location is mainly a physical concept.
Is the position on a team related to the location?
The position can be related to location on the field but also refers to the role.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
