What is the meaning of true north?

• A. The geographic North Pole direction.
• B. The magnetic north direction.
• C. The bearing shown on a compass at any moment.
• D. The direction toward the south geographic pole.

Answer: (A)

True north is the direction toward the geographic North Pole, the point where the Earth's axis intersects the surface. This direction is fixed by the planet’s geometry and serves as the reference for charts and navigation that use a geographic grid. A compass, on the other hand, points to magnetic north, which changes with location and over time due to the Earth's magnetic field; you would need to apply magnetic declination to convert magnetic bearings to true bearings. The south geographic pole is simply the opposite direction. So true north means the geographic North Pole direction.