Question

Answer the following question briefly:
What are the four cardinal directions?

Answer 1

Hint: A compass is used for the navigation and orientation that shows the direction relative to the geographic cardinal directions. A diagram which is usually known as a compass rose shows the four cardinal directions on the compass face as abbreviated initials.

Complete step-by-step answer:
There are four cardinal directions or cardinal points. These are North, East, South, and West. The directions are also written in short forms: N for North, E for East, S for South, and W for West. The North and South directions are directed towards the North and South poles of the Earth. The rotation of the Earth defines the East and West directions. The sun rises in the East and sets in the West as the Earth rotates from West to East. If a needle is magnetized and it is allowed to move freely (like floating on the surface of the water), it would align itself with the magnetic field of the Earth which is almost the same direction as North. The direction of the needle in this situation is known as Magnetic North. The Magnetic North may differ in some places by few degrees from the direction of North. The inter-cardinal or the intermediate directions are North-East (NE), South-East (SE), South-West (SW), and North-West (NW).

Note: In old Asian culture, each of the directions is given a color. The direction of East is given Green or Blue color, the South is given Red color, West is given White color and the North is given Black color. Different cultures have given different values through history in each direction.