South

South (also written as Koofur or Koonfurta) is one of the four primary cardinal directions used to designate location. It is the direction opposite to north, and is the direction toward the southern end of the earth's axis. When a person faces north, south is behind them, west is to the left, and east is to the right.

On standard modern maps, south is typically marked at the bottom of the page. This is not a natural law but a global cartographic convention that has been adopted. On directional rose symbols used in mapping, south is usually abbreviated as K in Somali, or S in English and French.

How to measure

In terms of compass bearing, south is located at 180 degrees, with north as the starting point of 0 degrees. The indication given by a magnetic compass depends on the earth's magnetic field, which does not exactly align with the earth's axis of rotation; this difference is called magnetic declination. For this reason, geographic south and magnetic south are distinguished from each other.

Stars and sky

The southern sky does not have a prominent star that points directly south in the way that Polaris (the North Star) marks the north. Instead, people living in the southern hemisphere typically use a group of stars known as Crux (the Southern Cross) to find direction. When viewed from the northern hemisphere's middle latitudes, the sun traces a path toward the south during the day.

Geographic, political and economic uses

The term south is used in geographic and administrative names, such as regions and countries. There is also political and economic usage: the phrase "Global South" refers to a large number of countries located in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and is used to distinguish them by economic status, not merely by their geographic position.