Compass Rose Information

A compass rose is a symbol originally employed by cartographers (map makers) to indicate wind direction. One distinguishing marker of a compass rose is that north is always indicated. According to GISnet.com, the symbol has been in use since the 1300s.

  1. Name

    • The term "compass rose" evolved from the physical resemblance the compass points in the symbol have to the petal pattern of a rose.

    Design

    • There is no standard way to represent a draw or print a compass rose. However, ruf.rice.edu indicates that it is standard for all contemporary (2009) compass roses to have 32 points.

    Direction Labels

    • Historically, north was indicated using a "T" for the word "tramontana," the Italian word for north, and a fleur-de-lis. On some maps, east was indicated using a cross, but west, south and intermediate directions were not labeled.

    Course Plot

    • More than just a decorative device, compass roses were intended to serve a practical purpose in charting a course. Ruf.rice.edu reports that a line was drawn on the map from the compass rose through the origin and destination points to provide a heading.

    Color

    • Points on a compass rose are colored so as to be visible even in minimal light conditions, such as lighting by candles.