2006-07-15 09:10:45 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ Travel (General) ➔ Other - Destinations
It is a direction and is neither up nor down. Down is a hole, or at least closer to the center of the earth if you are treading water.
Now for what I really think you mean, why is north towards the top of a map. For the reason that if you did not make it uniformly true throughout the world, you could not read a map. And even in the olden times not everyone wanted to draw his own map.
2006-07-15 09:17:06 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most maps are designed with north "up" as a standard, that is to say, when the writing is positioned right-side up for reading, north is at the top.
Early maps didn't necessarily follow this convention, as they saw the world spreading out from one significant point. For example, the Mappa Mundi (http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/837.html) from the 13th century.
There are also many modern maps that Maps that don't put north at the top:
Polar maps - where a pole (north or south) is the centre point, and any given position can then be measured along a longitudinal line
Dymaxion maps - is a projection of a global map onto the surface of a polyhedron, which thus keeps the proportions more accurate
Orienteering maps - a person is located at an identifiable point within the area of such a map, then the map can be oriented in such a way that every point on the map lies in the same direction as the corresponding point in reality
2006-07-15 16:28:28 · answer #2 · answered by butireallyam_nikkijd 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well it's a relative question and depends how you are looking at it... Actually North is neighther up or down. It's a relative point from where you can estimate your direction. If North was up and south was down, then you would climbing north and falling south.
2006-07-15 16:13:23 · answer #3 · answered by prosperous_lunatic 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because if north was down, that means Europe would be at the bottom, and everyone knows Europe is on the top in all things.
2006-07-15 16:12:19 · answer #4 · answered by Tim 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maps are drawn with north at the top and south at the bottom., so up north & down south.
That's my guess.
2006-07-15 20:31:23 · answer #5 · answered by Rockin' Mel S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is north that is up and it is not south that is down.. but it is we that , we named the upper place as north and lower place as south. it has become a de facto for north and south.
2006-07-15 16:14:53 · answer #6 · answered by Areejo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because then the earth would spin the other way and it would screw up the 'toilet swirl amazement factor' in Australia and what good could ever come of that?
2006-07-15 16:15:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The up stroke in N points up.
S is soft and round like bottom.
2006-07-15 16:14:45 · answer #8 · answered by r_e_a_l_miles 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To make it possible for us all to read maps. I think i is simply by agreement.
2006-07-15 16:16:34 · answer #9 · answered by jennifer t 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the same reason south is down and not up.
2006-07-15 16:11:53 · answer #10 · answered by Just wonderin' 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋