Cardinal direction
Cardinal directions or cardinal points are the four main directions or points of the compass: north, east, south and west. These direction are also written in short form as N, E, S and W.
North and south are directed towards the north and south poles of the Earth. The Earth's rotation defines east and west. The sun rises in the morning in the east, and sets in the afternoon in the west.
If a needle is magnetised and allowed to move freely (for example floated on water) it will align itself with the Earth's magnetic field which is almost in the same direction as north. The direction of the needle in this situation is called magnetic north which in some places differs from the direction of the North Pole by a few degrees.
Cardinal directions in world cultures
Through history, different cultures have given different values to each direction. For example, in old Asian culture, each direction is given a color, as follows:
Cardinal Direction Media
A compass rose showing the four cardinal directions, the four intercardinal directions, and eight more divisions.
Cardinal and non-compound intercardinal directions in Estonian and Finnish. Notice the intermixed "south" and "southwest". Further intermixing between directions south and northwest occur in other Finnic languages.
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