South

South is a direction.

It is the opposite of north. It is not east or west. Maps often show south at the bottom.

In some places, the sun is in the south at noon. This helps people find their way. A compass can also show the way.

The South Pole is at the bottom of Earth. It is in a place called Antarctica. A man named Roald Amundsen was the first to reach it.

Some lands are also called the South. South Africa is at the tip of Africa. Australia is a land in the south, too.

South is a direction.

It is the opposite of north. It is also not east or west. Most maps show south at the bottom. You can use a compass to find it. Set the compass to 180 degrees to go south.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun is often in the south at noon. This helps people find their way. One end of the Earth's axis is the South Pole. It sits in Antarctica. A man named Roald Amundsen reached it first in 1911.

Some maps look different. This map shows the world upside down.

People use the word "south" to name places. South Africa sits at the bottom tip of Africa. Australia means "Southern Land" in Latin. The Southern Cone is a group of lands in South America. This includes Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It also includes the south of Brazil. The term "Global South" describes many countries in the southern half of the world. These places may have less money or food than the Global North.

South is a very important direction. It is one of the four main compass points.

This direction is the opposite of north. It is also perpendicular to east and west. Most people see south at the bottom of a map. However, some maps are drawn differently.

One map shows the world upside down. You can find south by using a compass. You must set it to a bearing of 180 degrees.

Finding south can be done in many ways. In the Northern Hemisphere, you can look at the sun. At midday, the sun is roughly in the south. Some old languages describe south this way. The Latin word for it means noon. Other languages use the rising sun to find it. They see south as the right-hand side of the sun. This is how the name Yemen was made. It means the land to the south or right.

There is a special place called the South Pole. It is one end of the axis for Earth. This pole is located in Antarctica. There is also a magnetic south. This is a different direction from the geographic pole. A man named Roald Amundsen reached the pole first. He was from Norway and arrived on 14 December 1911. Ernest Shackleton tried to go there too. He had to turn back before he reached it.

People use the word south to name many places. South Africa is at the southern tip of Africa. It was once called the Union of South Africa. Australia comes from a Latin name. It means "Southern Land." In South America, there is a place called the Southern Cone. This area includes Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It also covers the south of Brazil. This area looks like a large, inverted cone.

Sometimes, the term south describes how people live. The Global South refers to the southern half of our world. These areas may have less money or food. For example, 95% of the Global North has enough food. In the Global South, only 5% of people have enough. The term can also describe parts of a single country. The Southern United States is one example. The South of England is another example. Even card games use the name. In bridge, one player is called South.

South is one of the four cardinal directions. These are the primary compass points used for navigation. South is the direct opposite of north. It is also perpendicular to east and west. In many systems, south is abbreviated as S.

Most people follow the convention of placing south at the bottom of a map. However, some maps do not follow this rule. An example is the 1943 drawing "América Invertida" by Joaquín Torres García.

This map defies the usual convention by showing the world upside down.

Language tells us how ancient people understood this direction. The word south comes from the Old English word "sūþ." This likely relates to a Proto-Germanic root. Some languages define south by the position of the sun. For example, the Latin word "meridies" means both noon and south. This comes from words meaning "middle" and "day." Other languages use the rising sun as a reference point. Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic describe south as the right-hand side of the rising sun. The name of the country Yemen comes from this idea. It refers to the land to the south or right of the Levant.

Navigators use specific tools and signs to find south. A compass can be set to a bearing of 180 degrees. This is known as an azimuth. In the Northern Hemisphere, you can also use the sun. Outside of the tropics, the sun is roughly in the south at midday. There are also two different types of south poles. The South Pole is the end of the axis for Earth's rotation. This geographic pole is located in Antarctica. Magnetic south is a different direction. It points toward the south magnetic pole, which is some distance away from the geographic pole.

Exploring the South Pole was a major historical event. Roald Amundsen was the first person to reach the geographic South Pole. He was from Norway and arrived on 14 December 1911. Another explorer, Ernest Shackleton from the UK, also attempted the journey. However, Shackleton was forced to turn back some distance before reaching the pole. These expeditions helped humans understand the geography of the Antarctic continent.

Today, the term "Global South" describes a specific social and economic reality. It refers to the less-developed southern half of the globe. There are large differences between the Global North and the Global South. In the Global North, 95% of people have enough food and shelter. They also have functioning education systems. In the Global South, only 5% of the population has enough food and shelter. These regions may lack appropriate technology or political stability. Their economies often depend on exporting primary products.

People also use "south" to name specific regions or countries. South Africa is named for its location at the southern tip of Africa. It was originally called the Union of South Africa. This name reflected the unification of four British colonies. Australia comes from the Latin name "Terra Australis," which means "Southern Land." In South America, the Southern Cone is a large area. It is shaped like an inverted cone or a large peninsula. This region includes Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and the southern parts of Brazil. Some definitions of the Southern Cone are more restricted. They may only include Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.

Even within single countries, the term can mark a divide. The Southern United States is separated from the Northeast by the Mason–Dixon line. In England, the South is often seen as economically or politically different from the North. The word even appears in culture and games. In the card game bridge, one player is called South. This player partners with North to play against East and West. In Greek religion, the south wind was known as Notos. Notos was believed to be the bringer of storms during late summer and autumn.