Concept 2 of 4
Map Directions: Reading the Map
Today's big idea
Above is north, below is south, right is east, and diagonals join two words.
Sketch a compass cross on the map, place each landmark, then read the direction off.
How it works
👀 What's going on?
A map question asks where one place sits compared with another. The answer changes depending on which place you start from, and that is the whole difficulty.
💡 Here's the trick
Look at the map above. The park sits below the temple, so the park is south of the temple. The school sits to the right of the park, so the school is east of the park. Put those together and the school is south-east of the temple. Above is north, below is south, right is east, left is west.
🪄 How to do it
- 1.Put a finger on the place you measure from, which is the temple in the picture above.
- 2.See where the other place sits: above, below, left or right.
- 3.Join two words for a diagonal, saying north or south first.
✍️ Try it
If the school is south-east of the temple, where is the temple from the school? And if a shop is west of the school, where is the school from the shop?
Directions flip when you swap the starting place. The temple is north-west of the school, the exact opposite of south-east. And if the shop is west of the school, then the school is east of the shop.
⚠️ Watch out
You might be thinking a direction holds however you read it. It reverses. If A is north of B then B is south of A, and taking those two the wrong way round is the commonest mistake here.
🌟 Why this matters
Giving directions to your house, reading a bus map, saying where you left something. All of them depend on being clear which place you measure from.
Exam tip: Underline the from place in the question, because the answer flips if you read it the other way.
Watch me solve one
Quanta solves it
“Watch how I think through one of these — then you try.”
THE PROBLEM
“Museum is left of the Bank. Bank is above the Café. Museum from Café?”
- 1
Translate to compass
Museum is West of Bank. Bank is North of Café.
- 2
Combine
Museum = West AND North of Café.
- 3
Diagonal name
NW
- 4
Answer ✓
Museum is North-West of Café
Now you try one — same steps, different story 👇
See it in action
⚡ Time to play!
On the map, which direction is the library from the home?
MAP · ROUND 1 OF 3
↑ N
Quick check
✅ VERIFICATION
On a map the library is north-west of the market. Where is the market from the library?
⚡ Finish the activity above first to answer.
Keep going!
Up next: Position Tracker
Sketch each move. Turns change your facing direction.