CGC1D—Ms. Duff
Describing a Location:
Using a Compass, Relative Location, Grid Location, and
Coordinates of Latitude & Longitude
The Compass
 Compass points are located on a compass rose
 The compass rose is used to explain where a location is in relation to the magnetic North Pole
 There are 4 Cardinal points  north, east, south and west
 The ordinal (or minor points) are the directions between the cardinal directions
 The ordinal points are located halfway ( or 45 ) between each cardinal point
 They are NE, SE, SW, NW
 Additional ordinal point directions include are 22.5  degrees from the cardinal and ordinal
points
 NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW and NNW
 Direction is more accurately given using angular bearings which are measured in degrees
starting from the North cardinal point and running clockwise to 360
 It is more accurate because every part of a degree can be used
Compass Rose Activity
1. Label the compass rose below with the following:
a. Cardinal Points – N, S, E, W
b. Ordinal Points – eg: NE, ______, _______, _______
c. Compass bearings for the points above (use the protractor provided to help you; though you can
do the math, instead)
2. North, South, East and West are referred to as _________________________.
3. NE, SE, NW and SW are referred to as ______________________________.
4. When directions are given in degrees (numbers) they are referred to as ____________ ___________.
CGC1D—Ms. Duff
5. What direction is opposite each of the following directions?
a. NE?
b. SE?
6. Give the compass BEARINGS (Angular) for the following directions: (
() symbol beside the number)
to write the degrees
a. N
b. E
c. NW
7.
What is the DIRECTION of the following bearings?
a. 180
b. 135
c. 270
Relative Location
Relative location is an expression describing a location of a place in reference to the other
places/landforms/bodies of water around it.
For example, think about our location relative to other places.
 Ottawa is NE of Toronto and SW of Montreal
 Ottawa is where the Ottawa River and the Rideau River meet
What is the relative location of the following places?
Churchill, MB
St. John’s, NL
Cali, Colombia
Madagascar
Malta
Syria
Soloman Islands
Grid Location
Most street maps use simple grid systems (lines that run horizontally and vertically across the
page). These grids divide the map into even-sized squares or rectangles. Letters and numbers
identify the spaces between the lines. Therefore, any place or feature can be identified by a
letter-number combination, such as C3. This method of location is called an alpha-numeric grid.
Usually, a map index will give the grid location of the street you want to find. Check out the
example below.
This is a map of the Yorkshire, England area.
Notice the alpha-numeric grid on the edges.
What would the grid locations be for the
following places? (eg. Rotherham is at D7)
Darlington ____
York
____
Doncaster ____
Scarborough ____
Manchester ____
Leeds
____
Figure 1: http://www.dave-ford.co.uk/Image_Map.htm
Source: DesRiviers, Dennis, Colin M. Bain and Robert Harshman. Experience Canada: A Geography. Don Mills:
Oxford University Press. 2003.
Using Coordinates of Latitude and Longitude
Latitude
LATITUDE: Parallel lines circling the earth.
They are measured as an angle form the
center of the earth.
Longitude
LONGITUDE: Imaginary lines running north and
south through the poles. They are measured in
degrees from the Prime Meridian, which is 0o
Important Lines of Latitude
Label the
lines!
Use an Atla
Use an ATLAS to find the latitude/longitude of the following places:
Place
Vancouver
Halifax
Latitude Longitude
What is the longitude of?
Canada’s farthest point west? _______
Canada’s farthest point east? _______
Yellowknife
Calgary
Ottawa
Toronto
Winnipeg
Kitchener
Thunder Bay
Alert
What is the latitude of?
Canada’s southern border in
Saskatchewan?
_______