What is True North?

What is True North?

• A. The direction to the geographic North Pole
• B. The direction to magnetic north
• C. The direction of the rising sun
• D. The direction toward the South Pole

Answer: (A)

True North is the direction toward the geographic North Pole, the fixed point where Earth's axis intersects the surface. It serves as the reference direction for global maps and navigation because it aligns with the planet’s rotation and the grid of latitude and longitude. Magnetic north, which is where a compass points, shifts over time and differs from True North, so navigators often need to apply a local declination to translate between the two. The direction toward the rising sun is east, not north, and the South Pole is the opposite end of the axis, not True North.

True North is the direction toward the geographic North Pole, the fixed point where Earth's axis intersects the surface. It serves as the reference direction for global maps and navigation because it aligns with the planet’s rotation and the grid of latitude and longitude. Magnetic north, which is where a compass points, shifts over time and differs from True North, so navigators often need to apply a local declination to translate between the two. The direction toward the rising sun is east, not north, and the South Pole is the opposite end of the axis, not True North.