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A simple arrow with an N, stating which way is north on a map.
Also known as: North point, Arrow with an N
A north arrow states the map's orientation. Its existence is an admission that north-up is a convention rather than a fact — a map that needed no arrow would be one where the reader could assume.
States the direction of north on the map, from which every other bearing follows.
Contexts: Navigation, Maps
Exists because north-up is a strong convention rather than a rule. Maps are drawn to other orientations where the subject demands it, and the arrow is what makes the choice explicit.
Contexts: Navigation, Maps
Distinguishes true north from grid north and magnetic north where precision matters, since the three differ by amounts that accumulate over distance.
United Kingdom · Contexts: Navigation
A slender arrow pointing upward, often half-filled and half-outlined along its length, with a capital N at or near its head.
The reduced form of the same statement.