North

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:

    “New York is a meeting place for every race in the world, but the Chinese, Armenians, Russians, and Germans remain foreigners. So does everyone except the blacks. There is no doubt but that the blacks exercise great influence in North America, and, no matter what anyone says, they are the most delicate, spiritual element in that world.”
    —Federico García Lorca (1898–1936)

    “If I could put my hand on the north star, would it be as beautiful? The sea is lovely, but when we bathe in it the beauty forsakes all the near water. For the imagination and senses cannot be gratified at the same time.”
    —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    “I felt that he, a prisoner in the midst of his enemies and under the sentence of death, if consulted as to his next step or resource, could answer more wisely than all his countrymen beside. He best understood his position; he contemplated it most calmly. Comparatively, all other men, North and South, were beside themselves.”
    —Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)