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Orient.png

August 2023

#mapamonth – August = Old School
Recently I’ve learnt the old school, original meaning behind a word I hadn’t given much thought – Orientate. “Orientate the map…”

‘Orientated’ means ‘east at the top’, hence the term ‘Orient’
The term has its origins in “oriens,” the Latin word for “east.”
late Middle English: via Old French from Latin orient – ‘rising or east’, from oriri ‘to rise’

Orientated – British; Oriented – American 
Also: Orienting, Orienteering 
to build (a church or temple) with the longitudinal axis pointing eastward and the chief altar at the eastern end.

"Situated in or belonging to the east – oriental"; "orient kings"; (of the sun, daylight, etc.) rising; "the orient moon"

So here's a map with Aotearoa New Zealand facing East.


Geography, digital geography has a role to play in the various outcomes of Climate Change, watch this space as new technologies and methodologies evolve in our ever-changing world.
- Matt Couldrey [geoid - digital geography]

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