Categories of Place (AQA A Level Geography)

Places Near & Far

• Near places are those that we consider close to us

• Far places are those that we consider distant 

• This is subjective as in some countries a five-hour drive could constitute a near place whilst that in the UK would be a far place

• People tend to know near places better than far places, though this is changing:

  • Improvements in transport mean people can reach far places more quickly - this is known as time-space compression

  • Technological advances including the internet mean it is easier to communicate with far places and to experience them

• Perception of people is also affected by whether they are considered near or far

Real or Constructed Places

• Real places are those we have been to or those that exist as a place to visit 

• Another way to think of real places are those with a distinctive character or identity that has developed over time 

• Constructed places could either be:

  • Imagined places such as Hogwarts or Narnia or;

  • Those that have been created to imitate the identity or character of somewhere that already exists such as The  Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas

• Experienced and media places are two other categories of place 

Experienced places

• A place where people have spent time and have direct experience of

• One view is that places can only have meaning if directly experienced allowing people to gain an authentic sense of place

• Genus loci or 'spirit of place' are the things that make each place unique are only understood by experiencing the place

• Experiencing a place creates emotional attachment and may change previous perceptions

Media places

• Places we have experienced through representations in the media

• These can be through reading, watching on tv or film, seeing on social media or internet

• The widespread use of social media and the internet means we may have experience of many places without ever having visited them