Editing Cardinal direction (section)

{{short description|Directions of north, south, east and west}}
{{Redirect|Cardinal point}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
[[File:Brosen windrose.svg|thumb|300px|right|A [[compass rose]] showing the four cardinal directions, the four intercardinal directions, and eight more divisions.]]

The four '''cardinal directions''' or '''cardinal points''' are the four main [[compass]] [[Direction (geometry)|directions]]: [[north]] (N), [[south]] (S), [[east]] (E), and [[west]] (W). The corresponding [[azimuth]]s ([[clockwise]] horizontal angle from north) are 0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°.

The four '''ordinal directions''' or '''intercardinal directions''' are northeast (NE), southeast (SE), southwest (SW), and northwest (NW).
The corresponding azimuths are 45°, 135°, 225°, and 315°.

The intermediate direction of every pair of neighboring cardinal and intercardinal directions is called a '''secondary intercardinal direction'''. These eight shortest points in the [[compass rose]] shown to the right are:
# West-northwest (WNW)
# North-northwest (NNW)
# North-northeast (NNE)
# East-northeast (ENE)
# East-southeast (ESE)
# South-southeast (SSE)
# South-southwest (SSW)
# West-southwest (WSW)

Points between the cardinal directions form the [[points of the compass]]. Arbitrary [[horizontal direction]]s may be indicated by their [[azimuth]] angle value.