noordenpijltje

Noordenpijltje is a Dutch term meaning north little arrow and refers to the indicator used on maps and navigational instruments to show geographic north. The term is descriptive rather than a formal technical term.

The arrow helps users orient themselves by showing which direction is north. On printed maps and globes, it is usually placed near the edge and may be integrated into a decorative compass rose. On digital maps and GPS devices, the north arrow, often represented as a compass icon, can be dynamic, rotating to reflect the device’s orientation or the map’s rotation.

The simplest form is a small arrow or triangle pointing upward. More complex versions are compass roses with a central disk and radiating lines for cardinal directions; sometimes the north indicator is labeled with N. Historically, many medieval maps were oriented with east at the top; the practice of placing north at the top became widespread in early modern cartography, notably by Dutch and other European cartographers in the 16th–17th centuries.

The north arrow is not the same as a compass; a compass indicates magnetic north using a magnetic needle, whereas a north arrow on a map may indicate geographic true north or magnetic north depending on context. In modern digital maps, user interfaces may show a separate compass as well as the north arrow.

The Dutch term reflects its function and appears in cartographic discussions as a descriptive term rather than a strict technical label.