No (in general). By convention, almost all maps have North at the top.
There are some special maps that have the country concerned at the centre of a circular map - Great Circle Maps.
The current TV reference to the top and bottom of the country is to be deplored. The top of the South Island for example is Mt Cook (Aoraki), and the bottom is one of several low-lying areas.
When we orient a map, we hark back to an old convention when East was at the the top of the map, a convention itself long gone.
And old portolans and many charts are oriented for mariner's convenience.
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This water passage is the Cook Strait, named after Captain James Cook, who circumnavigated New Zealand in 1769-1770.
There are two related links to maps showing Venezuela in South America.
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You can probably call it up on Google maps. It is in the Southern Alps, about 70km west (roughly) of Christchurch.
Most world maps will have Nwe Zealand shown in the south-west Pacific, 1000 km or so east of Australia.
Captain Cook explored the south Pacific including Australia, Hawaii, and New Zealand.
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maps in new zealand.
South Island Use this link to Google maps to find it: http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&key=ABQIAAAA46dgrFoqtg_8iyvSS8iw7BT8zT5uypubk8BfCs3mLz4MfqZyCRQ2WdKatuccUswqix2cHXT-wFHsIA&ie=UTF8&ll=-42.38102,172.402951&spn=0.086606,0.15913&z=13&om=1
The part of a map that tells direction
A map is "carte" and direction is "direction".
Most maps include a "compass rose," a small compass symbol showing which direction is north (often labeled completely with N, E, S, and W).
Ancient maps were often oriented to the east because ancient civilizations believed that the east symbolized the direction of the sun rising, which was associated with new beginnings and opportunities. Additionally, the east was commonly considered the direction of knowledge and enlightenment in many cultures.
R. P. Hargreaves has written: 'French explorers maps of New Zealand' -- subject(s): Maps, Bibliography, Discovery and exploration 'An annotated bibliography of New Zealand population' -- subject(s): Bibliography, Population 'Colonial New Zealand' -- subject(s): Engraving, New Zealand, In art, New Zealand Engraving
topography recorder
Most maps include a "compass rose," a small compass symbol showing which direction is north (often labeled completely with N, E, S, and W).