Which statement correctly defines true north?

• A. Geographic North toward the North Pole
• B. Magnetic North toward the North Pole
• C. Grid North toward the North Pole
• D. Geographic South toward the South Pole

Answer: (A)

True north points toward the geographic North Pole, the direction along the Earth's axis toward the pole. This is the reference used for geographic coordinates and is defined by the meridians of longitude converging at the poles. It remains constant in space.

Magnetic north, by contrast, is where a compass would point due to the planet’s magnetic field. That direction moves over time and does not align exactly with true north. Grid north is the direction of a map’s grid lines and can differ from true north because of map projection, so it isn’t the same reference for the real world. Geographic south is simply the opposite direction of true north.