Charts are oriented with which direction at the top?

Charts are oriented with which direction at the top?

• A. Magnetic North
• B. True North
• C. Grid North
• D. Geographic North

Answer: (B)

Charts are laid out using a fixed geographic reference so plotting positions with latitude and longitude stays consistent. The top of a nautical chart points toward True North—the geographic north toward the North Pole along the Earth's axis. Magnetic North varies by location and changes over time, which would make the chart’s top reference unstable and prone to errors in navigation. Grid North is the direction of the chart’s grid lines and is typically aligned with True North on most charts, but the standard convention for the chart’s top is True North. Geographic North and True North describe the same direction in this context, with True North as the term used on charts. So the direction at the top is True North.

Charts are laid out using a fixed geographic reference so plotting positions with latitude and longitude stays consistent. The top of a nautical chart points toward True North—the geographic north toward the North Pole along the Earth's axis. Magnetic North varies by location and changes over time, which would make the chart’s top reference unstable and prone to errors in navigation. Grid North is the direction of the chart’s grid lines and is typically aligned with True North on most charts, but the standard convention for the chart’s top is True North. Geographic North and True North describe the same direction in this context, with True North as the term used on charts. So the direction at the top is True North.