west

West is one of the four cardinal directions, the opposite of East. It lies to the left on standard maps when north is up; in many navigation systems West corresponds to 270 degrees on a compass. The direction is defined by the rotation of the Earth and the apparent setting of the sun in the western sky.

The word West derives from Old English west, from Proto-Germanic westaz, related to words in other Germanic languages; the term is historically connected with the direction of the sunset.

The West is used to refer to a broad cultural and geopolitical region commonly called the Western world or Occident, encompassing parts of Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. These areas share historical influences such as Greco-Roman heritage, Christianity, and later developments in political philosophy, science, and industry. The term contrasts with the East or the Orient in some scholarly and popular discourse.

In geography and mapping, West is used to describe the western portion of a country or region, such as the western states of a country or the western hemisphere of Earth. The term can appear in weather, time zones, and travel planning to indicate direction or location.