Maps and Compasses

A map is a picture of a place seen from above, like a bird flying high in the sky. Maps shrink the whole world down so it fits on a page. This view from directly above is sometimes called a bird's-eye view or a plan view. Learning to read a map is a brilliant skill that has helped explorers, sailors, and ordinary travellers find their way for thousands of years.

A compass works because the Earth itself behaves like a giant magnet. The needle of a compass is a small magnet that is gently pulled so that one end always swings to point towards the Earth's magnetic North. Once you know where North is, you automatically know all the other directions, because they never change their order around the circle.

Between the four main directions are the in-between directions: north-east, south-east, south-west, and north-west. Together with the main four, these make the eight points of the compass. Sailors and pilots use these to describe exactly which way they are heading, such as 'we are sailing south-west towards the harbour'.