location

The concept of location seems simple enough, until you try to describe a location without invoking at least one other spatial concept, such as distance, direction, proximity, enclosure, or topology. At that point, you begin to realize that humans have developed a surprisingly large number of distinct, often subtle, and occasionally complex ways of describing location. This diversity occurs partly because the research verdict is in: the human brain does not have a mechanism for storing and retrieving information about so-called "absolute" locati

...location provides information about where an occurrence exists within the totality of an environment. However, as the environment being considered changes from global to regional to local to personal, the specification of location can vary in precision and usefulness. (p. 31)

Where is it? (p. 100); Position in space, a cornerstone geographic idea ( p. 271); Relative location: position expressed in terms of one or more known locations (p. 59); absolute location: Position expressed in terms of a coordinate system or mathematical grid (p. 59); . . . the concept of location is surprisingly difficult to communicate without employing at least one other spatial concept, such as distance, direction, adjacency, or enclosure (p. 100)