True North

• True north points toward the North Pole.Unser Planet image by M. Haegeli from Fotolia.com
  
  True north is the direction that points toward the North Pole. The classic-looking compass rose that appears on historic maps points toward true north.
  
  

Magnetic North

• A compass points toward magnetic north.compass image by cico from Fotolia.com
  
  Magnetic north is the direction that a compass will indicate as north. It differs more or less from true north depending on where you are in the world. Modern maps will usually have a compass rose that indicates both true north and magnetic north. This combination allows you to take bearings from your map and adjust them for your compass.
  
  

Identification

• It is usually very easy to tell whether the compass rose on your map indicates true north or magnetic north. A compass rose that shows true north will have between four and 32 points indicating the cardinal and secondary directions. One showing magnetic north will have a complete scale in degrees and may be rotated slightly with respect to the map. Many compass roses show both true and magnetic directions.
  
  

History

• The compass rose has been used on maps since the 1300's and was originally supposed to indicate the directions of the four winds. Its name comes from the resemblance to the rose flower.
  
  

Uses

• A compass rose makes it easier to follow directional lines on a map. Compass roses with both true and magnetic directions are especially useful as they allow you to account for declination as you take bearings from a compass and apply them to a map. The compass rose is heavily used in nautical and wilderness settings.