In the server's lore, "place" is any large area, but structures are always registered as being contained within a place. In this sense, "places" can be likened to cities; however, places can be also "subplaces" of other places if they are sufficiently large (e.g. if a large, distinguishable place is contained within a larger, distinguishable place, then the former place is a "subplace" of the latter place). Reading articles about places in the world can be a great way to start generally and get to know the biggest landmarks, and then dig-down into more specific areas and places of interest as you go.