| 1. | Geography. the end of the earth's axis of rotation, marking the northernmost point on the earth. |
| 2. | Astronomy. the point at which the extended axis of the earth cuts the northern half of the celestial sphere, about 1° from the North Star; the north celestial pole. |
| 3. | (lowercase ) the pole of a magnet that seeks the earth's north magnetic pole. |
| 4. | (lowercase) See under magnetic pole (def. 1). |
| 1. | the region of a magnet toward which the lines of magnetic induction converge (south pole) or from which the lines of induction diverge (north pole). |
| 2. | either of the two points on the earth's surface where the dipping needle of a compass stands vertical, one in the arctic, the other in the antarctic. See maps under North Pole, South Pole. |
North Pole  (click for larger image in new window) n.
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The northern end, or pole, of the Earth's axis. (See Arctic and Arctic Ocean.)
The spot on the Earth toward which a compass needle will point.
Note: The north magnetic pole is not located exactly at the geographic North Pole. Therefore, depending on where a compass is, its needle may not point exactly north.
Note: The variation between magnetic north and “true” north is usually shown on navigation maps as the “angle of declination.”
magnetic pole
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North Pole
(click for larger image in new window) The northern end of the Earth's axis of rotation, located at 90° north latitude at a point in the Arctic Ocean. See more at axis. |