Cardinal directions are north, south, east and west. They are depicted on a compass by points printed on the face of the instrument. These directions are used by those needing so know the physical direction they are traveling. Such individuals include sailors and hikers, among others.
Cardinal direction may be seen on a compass. North points upward toward the geographic north, south points toward geographic south. East is between north and south on the right side of the compass and west sits between north and south on the left hand side of the compass.
Intercardinal directions include Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest. Each sits equidistant between the cardinal directions on a compass. These are also called ordinal directions.
These directions include north-northeast (NNE) and east northeast (ENE). These directions are situated between north and northeast and northeast and east, respectively. It should be noted that these directions are rarely used. When all these directions are placed on a compass, a compass rose pattern is formed.
Compasses are instruments used to determine direction. They are composed of a magnetic needle that, when free to rotate, always points in the direction of magnetic north. This occurs because the earth's magnetic field points in the direction of its axis of rotation at the top and bottom of the earth. Magnetic north is considered geographic north.
The word cardinal comes from a middle English word meaning essentially something on which other things hinge. Thus, it is something of high importance. The term cardinal directions may thus indicate the significance of these directions over others since the other directions, like northeast, are based off of the original four: north, south, east and west.
