ORIENS

Geographical orientation:
An alternative, integrative geographical perspective

Por Cristóbal Cobo Arízaga.

www.quitsato.org

The objective of “The Oriented World” is to generate a new view of where we are, thus re-thinking
the global scenario in order to leave traditional conventions behind. We aim to propose a new
conception of the globe that emphasizes global integration over arbitrary distinctions about central
and peripheral nations.

We wish to promote the notion of a united globe and question historical constructions presented by
the dominant nations. In effect, we re-orient how the globe is visualized geographically, toppling the
North-South division of cultural hierarchy. Given our Latin American identity, this is our moral
obligation. Yet, this initiative represents a call for a profound reflection among all races,
nationalities, creeds, and genders that there do not exist countries above others, but rather that all
nations of the world have a specific position in space that can be oriented and re-oriented.

The present study expounds upon the theoretical bases of such an integrated geographical
visualization of the world, offering theoretical and scientific support for this re-orientation. We aim
to break down stereotypes and historical constructs that lack reason and divide nations rather than
unite them.

The world needs such initiatives to promote a new dynamic of thought, which takes into account
technological advances in order to favor the integration of humankind, the universe, the sun, and the
earth.

The Issue of Perspective:

Visual perspectives of the Earth:

We will briefly analyze three visual perspectives of the earth in order to differentiate the positions
of the earth with respect to the sky, cartography, globes, topographic cards, and other types of
models.

The spacial perspective: In outer space there exist no cardinal directions. Therefore, we might
imagine observing the earth from any angle whatsoever.

The heliocentric perspective: From the sun, we can imagine observing the earth with an inclination
of 23°26'29”, which is the inclination of our planet with respect to the plane of its orbit in the solar
system.

Terrestrial perspective: This refers to the perspective that we have of our surroundings from any
point on earth's surface, on which we orient ourselves according to the cardinal directions.

The geographical perspectives in history:

Before the Middle Ages arrived in Europe, the ancient cultures were accustomed to observing the
world from different perspectives. For example, there exists evidence that the Egyptians developed
maps with south as the principal reference. The majority of Arab maps during the rise of Islamic
powers in the Middle East (c. VII to XIV) placed south as the uppermost direction (Wikipedia,
2009). For the Maya of Mexico, east was the principal cardinal direction (Shele and Freidel, 1999).
North has been used predominantly as the principal direction for navigation (Mexía, 1542).

North:

The use of North as the principal direction has predominated until today because of the appearance
of the compass in 15th century Europe. Navigation and cartography needed a fixed reference point
in the sky and the North Star of the Litte Dipper served as just that.

However, this did not represent a fixed point in the northern sky given that the earth moves due to
the axial precesion (Bakulin, P., E. Kononovich, and V. Moroz, 1987), which completes a cycle
around the northern pole every 25,875 years. Therefore, about 4 thousand years ago the northern
reference in the northern sky was Thuban, the alpha star of the Draconis constellation. Currently, it
is the North Star and it will become Errai, the lambda star of the constellation Cephei.

North, an unsustainable geographic reference:

“North” comes from the old English word “noro,” which in turn derives from the proto-
Indoeuropean word “ner,” meaning “left,” given that north is left for an observer who faces the sun
in the morning (Wikipedia, 2009).

The use of north as a geographic reference is nothing more than a historical custom that arose due to
need in early navigation and cartography. The first known map having a northern reference was that
of Ptolemy. However, there do not exist technical reasons to justify scientifically the use of north as
the principal directional reference. In addition, if we direct our view to the north, we will lose sight
of the southern skype.
The same would happen with the south, where we would lose sight of the north. These are biased
and incomplete geographic perspectives.

Using north as the principal reference is not only unsustainable due to a lack of technical and
scientific arguments, it is also a historical construct that has generated confusion for all everyone
who uses maps or globes given that north is used as the superior reference. This breaks with a
natural comprehension of the earth's movements with respect to the stars. Thus, it becomes more
difficult to understand the apparent movements of the heavenly bodies. Everyone who uses north as
a reference suffers from an absurd confusion by breaking with the natural perspective of our
surroundings. Our relationship with nature falls apart and the understanding of the seasons, the
weather, the wind, calenders, and time become enigmas for the vast majority of humankind.

Other problems that we face by using the north as our superior referent include the ambiguity
generated by historical conventions with distorting consequences in socio-cultural, geo-political,
and even class terms due to the fact that the majority of people understand the north as being
upwards, better, developed, and wealthy and the south as being downwards, inferior, and under-
developed. In the area of development work, “south” refers to a group of countries with lower per
capita incomes. In this sense, it has become synonymous with “poor countries” (Wikipedia, 2009).

South:

The etimology of the word “south” can be traced to the origin of the hindu name Surya, which
means sun due to the fact that this star indicates the southern cardinal point when it is observed to
the north of the Tropic of Cancer (Wikipedia,2009).

The south is one of the four cardinal points located over the horizon, diametrically opposed to the
north. It is 90° from the east. Thus it is denominated as a cardinal point, direction, and inferior type
of country or region according to eurocentric convention.

East:

East is a spacial orientation; the position of a point, place, object, or person over the earth's surface
with respect to a reference system. The term “orientation” comes from the Latin word for “east,”
“oriens, -entis”, which in turn comes from the verb “oriri,” meaning “to appear” and which
designates the place where the sun appears, as opposed to the west, which comes from the Latin
verb “occidere,” meaning “to fall,” indicating the place where the sun sets.(Encarta, 2008; Arnal,
Mariano, 2009; Wikipedia, 2009).

West:

Again, the west indicates that which opposes the east.

East as the integrative geographic reference.

If we want to orient ourselves, we must direct ourselves to the east, as the Latin meaning of east
indicates. This is the technical and scientifically sustainable reference or geographical direction due
to the fact that it is the direction in which the earth rotates. It is, in effect, the direction in which the
heavenly bodies, stars, planets, moon, and sun appear to us.

From a theoretical-scientific framework, this is the integrative reference given that it is the direction
in which we observe the heavens in its entirety. In addition, in order to understand the movements
of the heavenly bodies, we must understand their true movements, though they may not be
perceivable by the naked eye. The only way to understand these movements is from the momentum
in which the heavenly bodies appear in order to study their transition in space. It is for this simple
reason that the east is justified technically and scientifically to orient our maps and globes. This
position negates the use of west, north, or south as the geographic reference point to understand
nature or orient maps and globes.

A properly oriented view ought to be applied to the study, calculation, and measurement of
horizontal coordinates, topographies, and heavenly bodies, in addition to the use of geographical
projections, with the objective of integrating our knowledge of nature and giving scientific support
to the production of geographic information in general.

Bibliography
ARNAL, MARIANO.
2009 El Almanaque, Internet.

BAKULIN, P., E. KONONOVICH, y V. MOROZ

1987 CURSO DE ASTRONOMÍA GENERAL
Editorial MIR, Moscú.

ENCARTA
2008 Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2008. © 1993-2007 Microsoft Corporation.
Reservados todos los derechos.

SCHELE, LINDA Y FREIDEL, DAVID.

1996 UNA SELVA DE REYES,
Fondo de Cultura Económica, México.

Mexía, Pedro
1542 "Silva de varia lección", Tomo II- Cap XX, Ed. Cátedra Letras hispánicas.