answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

Polaris, the "North Star", is above the North Pole and was used by navigating sailors as the reference point for keeping direction. The earliest mapmakers that made their maps global were Europeans who apparently intended to make Europe the center-top of the map, placing the "less developed" continents below them. Thus, mapmakers eventually came to the consensus of placing north at the top, beginning in the era of Ptolemy.

This, however, was not always so. The South Pole could just as well have been the top. Some sources say that Egyptians saw south as "up" (before the existence of magnetic compasses, of course). This makes sense because every winter noon-time, the sun was high up in the southern sky. Not only that, but Lower Egypt and the Nile Delta are "down north"; Upper Egypt and Nubia's heights are "up south", from which Egypt's source of life (the Nile River) flows. Egyptians had every reason to believe south to be "nearest the heavens."

East Asian and Ancient Near East maps originally placed east at the top, because the sun rises in the east. We're not told whether the Hebrews used east-up maps like did their neighbors, or west-up due to Jerusalem's Temple and the Promised Land. The human figure was the floor plan to the Temple, with its "feet" east and its "head" (the Holiest Place) west. Plus, the whereabouts of the Israelites upon entering the Promised Land was like that of the sun in the sky: progressively westward. So west may very well have been "up" according to Israel.

The USA has map-tops seldom ever a direction other than north. But various other nations across the globe (e.g. Japan) generally align maps on signs according to which direction is forward (while looking at the sign). It is actually more convenient that way than making every map north-up.

User Avatar

Wiki User

11y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar
More answers
User Avatar

AnswerBot

6mo ago

North is commonly depicted at the top of maps due to historical cartographic conventions established by European mapmakers. This orientation likely originated with the Renaissance practice of using celestial navigation and aligning maps with the North Star for guidance. Over time, this convention became standardized, making it easier for people to interpret and navigate maps with a consistent reference point.

This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: Why is north always up on maps?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

How can you find north on a map?

North is always "up" on maps.


What direction is always right on the map?

East is the direction that is always to the right on a map, as maps are typically designed with north at the top. This means that as you face north, east is always to your right side.


What directions is always on the top of the map?

In most conventional maps that direction is North


Are the magnetic in the north pole and the geographic north pole always the same distance?

No, the magnetic pole is always on the move, which is why the magnetic variation is often printed on maps.


What is a roadmap?

Road maps are maps that show people where to go when the GPS only shows people once they get to a certain place and on the top road map the top of it is always north.


What way do lines of longitude run?

North - South; up and down most maps.


Where is loughmore?

Loughmore Castleinney is just north of Thurles, Co. Tipp, although for some weird reason, maps always spell it Loughmoe


Why is Alaska always snowy?

because it is up north.


When looking at a map in what direction always north?

Up


Is Vacaville CA up or down from Redding CA?

According to Google.com Maps: Vacaville Calif. is 165 miles South of Redding, Calif. It's down if South is Down, and North is Up, which it is on most maps.


Does the navigon gps navigator have up to date maps?

Yes. They do have up to date maps, because of the internet, but they don't always know what roads are temporarily closed, so it might lead you somewhere you can't go.


Why are maps always north side up?

Some things simply beg for simplification and cartographers were able to see the advantage in this basic premise, weights and measurements may have come first, but soon everyone understood the concept of directions.