North is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
North is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west.
By convention, the top side of a map is north.
To go north using a compass for navigation, set a bearing or azimuth of 0° or 360°.
North is specifically the direction that, in Western culture, is treated as the fundamental direction:
- North is used (explicitly or implicitly) to define all other directions.
- The (visual) top edges of maps usually correspond to the northern edge of the area represented, unless explicitly stated otherwise or landmarks are considered more useful for that territory than specific directions.
- On any rotating object, north denotes the side appearing to rotate counter-clockwise when viewed from afar along the axis of rotation.
Read more about North: Etymology, Magnetic North and Declination, Roles of North As Prime Direction, Roles of East and West As Inherently Subsidiary Directions, Cultural References
Famous quotes containing the word north:
“The discovery of the North Pole is one of those realities which could not be avoided. It is the wages which human perseverance pays itself when it thinks that something is taking too long. The world needed a discoverer of the North Pole, and in all areas of social activity, merit was less important here than opportunity.”
—Karl Kraus (1874–1936)
“The English were very backward to explore and settle the continent which they had stumbled upon. The French preceded them both in their attempts to colonize the continent of North America ... and in their first permanent settlement ... And the right of possession, naturally enough, was the one which England mainly respected and recognized in the case of Spain, of Portugal, and also of France, from the time of Henry VII.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South, come the pilgrim and guest,
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored,
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?”
—John Greenleaf Whittier (1807–1892)