There are three key components of place: location, locale, and a sense of place. Location is the position of a particular point on the surface of Earth. Locale is the physical setting for relationships between people, such as the South of France or the Smoky Mountains.

Place, on the other hand, refers to the physical and human characteristics of a spot on the map. In other words, location focuses on where; place focuses on what it is like there. Place also includes descriptions of a site ’s features and environmental conditions.