Tendly

Geography Topic

Compass directions (8-point)

  1. Read notes
  2. Flashcards
  3. Quiz
  4. Confident

Study focus - 3 things

  1. The 4 cardinal points (N, E, S, W) sit at the top, right, bottom, left of a compass — clockwise
  2. The 4 ordinal points (NE, SE, SW, NW) sit between each pair of cardinals
  3. Together they make the 8-point compass — every direction has an exact opposite

Section 1Cardinal points

The four main directions are the cardinal points: North, East, South, West. Reading clockwise from the top: N → E → S → W. A handy memory aid is "Never Eat Soggy Waffles."

Section 2Ordinal (intercardinal) points

Between each pair of cardinals sits an ordinal point: NE (north-east), SE (south-east), SW (south-west), NW (north-west). These give you finer direction control than just the four cardinals.

Section 3Opposites

Every direction has an exact opposite, found by going 180° round. N ↔ S, E ↔ W, NE ↔ SW, SE ↔ NW. If you walk NE for an hour and then SW for an hour, you end up back where you started.

Section 4Reading direction on a map

First find the north arrow on the map. North is usually at the top, but not always — check the arrow. Once you know which way is north, all other directions follow: east is 90° clockwise, south is 180°, west is 270°.

Examples

You are facing north. You turn 90° clockwise. Which direction are you now facing?

90° clockwise from north is east. The order clockwise is N → E → S → W, so each 90° turn takes you to the next cardinal point.

A town is shown to the bottom-left of your school on the map, with north at the top of the page. In which direction is the town from the school?

Bottom-left, with north at the top, is south-west (SW). South is down, west is left, and SW is between them.

Now let's water it

Start study sessionFlashcards - 6Quiz - 5 Qs

Session runs notes to flashcards to quiz back-to-back.