South - Definition and Overview

South is one of the four cardinal or compass directions. It is the opposite of north and at right angles to east and west.

True south is the direction towards the southern end of the axis about which the earth rotates, called the South Pole. The South Pole is located in Antarctica. Magnetic south is the direction towards the south magnetic pole, some distance away from the south geographic pole.

It is the direction to the right of an observer facing east.

There are other uses of the word South:

• The term The South is often used to refer to regions within particular nations or, more generally, the less culturally and technologically advanced nations of the world (from the generalization that many such nations are located in or near the Southern Hemisphere).

• In the United Kingdom, "the South" is used to refer to the richer, supposedly more developed part of the country, and in the United States, the term "the South" is used to refer to states in the southeast that seceded from the Union during the Civil War.

• South is also the name of a township in Missouri. See South Township, Missouri.

• There is a lunar crater named South, with an eponym of James South, the British astronomer.

• Joe South is a singer/songwriter.