England / UK: An early drawing of a mariner's compass, Thomas Dawson, 1607

A compass rose is a figure on a map, a nautical chart or sometimes a paving stone or wall, used to display the orientation of the cardinal directions, — north, south, east, and west. It is also the term for the graduated markings found on traditional magnetic compasess.

Today, the idea of a compass rose features in almost all navigational systems. Early forms of the compass rose were known as wind roses, since no differentiation was made between a cardinal direction and the winds that emanated from that direction.

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Pictures From History