1. Use the compass to identify.

Put the compass flat and look at the direction pointed by the N pole of the magnetic needle to directly determine where north is.

(Note: It may be affected in magnetite areas, under high-voltage power lines, and during thunderstorms, resulting in incorrect display)

2. Know the direction immediately.

When the sun is shining, stand a wooden stick vertically on the ground, place a stone at the top of the shadow of the stick, wait five minutes, and then place a stone at the top of the shadow. Connect the two stones in a straight line and draw a vertical bisector on this straight line. This bisector is the north-south direction, and the direction facing away from the sun is north.

3. Use stars to identify directions at night.

1. Use Polaris for identification.

Usually looking for the Big Dipper or Trigram stars, which are located on both sides of the North Star and constantly revolve around the North Star. The Big Dipper is a relatively bright star, shaped like a spoon. Connect the two stars A and B at the head of the spoon in a straight line and extend it about 5 times toward the outside of the mouth of the spoon. There is a slightly darker star. This is the North Star, which is where the north is.

When the Big Dipper turns below the horizon, you can use the 3-shaped star to find it. The 3-shaped star is composed of five brighter stars and is shaped like a 3. In the direction of the 3-shaped gap, it is about At twice the width, there is the North Star.

2. Determine based on the Southern Cross.

In areas south of the Tropic of Cancer in my country, when the Southern Cross is seen at night, the orientation can also be determined. The Southern Cross is composed of four brighter stars and is shaped like a cross. The point where the line connecting the two stars A and B extends downward approximately four and a half times the distance between the two stars is due south.

4. Use a watch to identify the direction.

1. Available when the sun is shining during the day.

Function: "The number of hours is halved to the sun, and 12 points to the north."

First of all, the time must be in 24-hour format. Convert the actual time at that time into a 24-hour clock and then fold it in half. Point the half-hour number toward the sun. The direction pointed by 12 is north. For example: 4 o'clock in the afternoon is 4 + 12 = 16/2, which is 8 o'clock. Using 8 o'clock to face the sun 12 points to the north.

2. It can also be used when there is a moon at night.

The formula is the same as above. Also uses the 24-hour clock. It is only judged based on the profit and loss of the moon phase that night, and the moon phase (bright part) that night is divided into 12 equal parts. The specific key points are: first, look at the profit and loss of the moon phase, secondly, divide the moon disk into 12 equal parts, thirdly, look at how many parts the bright part occupies; fourthly, look at the hours minus (profit) and add (loss) equal parts, and fifthly, the number will be divided in half. Toward the moon, 12 points to the north.

(Note: The first half of the month is a waxing moon and needs to be subtracted, and the second half of the month is a waning moon and needs to be added.)

5. Identify the direction based on the topography of different regions.

The main entrances of larger temples and pagodas in northern my country and the doors and windows of rural houses mostly open to the south.

The south side of the ant hill at the entrance of the ant cave is gentle and the north side is steep.

Looking at the annual rings from the tree stump, the intervals in the north are small and dense, while the intervals in the south are large and sparse.

Independent trees usually have dense branches and leaves in the south, more fruits, and smooth bark, while they have fewer branches and leaves in the north, fewer fruits, and rough bark. (This is more obvious on apples, persimmons, hawthorns, jujube trees, oranges, etc.)

On the branches of pine, cypress, and fir trees, the south-facing side has a large amount of condensed resin and large clumps.

In winter, the snow on field ridges, dams and buildings melts faster in the south than slowly in the north. Or look at the river bank and ditch. The north bank has a gentle slope and the south bank has a steep slope.

The south side of the hillside is dry and has dense grass; the north side is humid and easy to grow moss.

(Note: The characteristics of sunken objects and forest clearings are opposite to the above situation)

In the grasslands and desert areas of northern my country, due to the frequent northwest winds, it is often seen near grass trees. They form snow ridges and sand ridges, with a large head and a small tail. Therefore, the direction of the head is northwest.

Most of the doors of yurts on the grassland open toward the southeast.

You can also use pointing grass to identify the direction. There are two main types: Mongolian chrysanthemum and wild lettuce.

In the desert, you can use the characteristics of some sand plants to tilt toward the southeast to determine the direction. In addition, the windward side (northwest direction) of the dune has a gentle slope, while the leeward side (southeast direction) has a steeper slope.

In hilly areas, tall arbor forests mostly grow on the northern slopes, while low shrubs grow on the sunny slopes. (The reason is that the soil water on the north slope evaporates slowly, the water and soil are well conserved, and the vegetation recovers faster than on the sunny slope, so it is easy to form a forest.)

It is possible to find it even without a map and compass. A route to a safe place.

First consider whether you can return to the road you just walked.

When it is impossible to walk back, observe the environment. If you see a road or something that must be connected to the road, such as a house, a telephone pole, etc., you should walk towards it.

If you can roughly infer where you are from the surrounding geographical features, go to the nearest road, path, railway, river, etc. As you move forward, pay attention to the scenery on the roadside to estimate how far you have traveled.

Roads, rivers and other targets that are perpendicular to the forward route are the best choices, because they can be found even if they deviate slightly from the original route when moving forward.

The main roads, power lines and telephone lines are regularly patrolled, so you don't have to wait long to meet someone who will help you find the way to go.

If you cannot find reliable geographical features, you can use the sun to determine the direction to decide which direction to go.

At noon, the sun is at the zenith to the south in the northern hemisphere, and to the north in the southern hemisphere.

If the sun is blocked by clouds, hold the edge of a small knife or nail file upright on a shiny surface such as a plastic credit card or thumbnail to find a light shadow on the surface. The sun is in the opposite direction from the shadow.

If you have a watch with hands that has been calibrated to the local time, you can use the following method to identify the direction:

Put the watch flat with the hour hand pointing toward the sun, and imagine a line connecting the hour hand to the sun. The angle at 12 o'clock bisects it. For example, if it is 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the diagonal line will pass through 2 o'clock. This diagonal line would point due south in the Northern Hemisphere and due north in the Southern Hemisphere.

If the clouds are thick and the sun is not visible, you can observe the fresh moss on tree trunks or rocks. Moss usually grows in backlit areas. In the northern hemisphere, moss is more abundant on the north or northeast side. In the southern hemisphere, moss is more abundant on the south or southeast side. However, using moss to guess the direction is not accurate, so if there is sunlight passing through the clouds, you should use the sun to determine the direction.

If you need to stay in place for a while, you can erect a stick on the flat ground to measure the direction. Every hour or so, make a mark on the top of the stick in the shadow. If you line up the marks, they will point east and west.

1． Use a compass to determine your direction. Using a compass to determine your direction is the fastest way. Place the compass horizontally, and when the needle is stationary, the end marked "N" will point to north. Although this method is simple and quick, you need to pay attention to two points: first, try to keep it as level as possible; second, don't get too close to magnetic materials.

2． Using a straight pole to determine the orientation In the wild, people can insert a straight pole (such as a longer branch) into the ground to make it perpendicular to the ground. First, place a stone at the vertex A of the shadow of the benchmark; after about 10 minutes, Then take the new benchmark shadow vertex as position B and place a stone. Connect the stones at A and B into a straight line. The direction of this straight line is the east-west direction. The direction perpendicular to the line AB is north-south, and the end facing the sun is south.

3. Use an analog watch to determine the direction. Place the watch horizontally, halve the time indicated by the hour hand (24-hour format), and face the sun. The direction indicated by the 12 o'clock scale on the dial is approximately north.

4. Use the North Star to determine the direction. There is no sun at night, so you can use the North Star to determine the direction. First find the easy-to-identify Big Dipper (Ursa Major) or W star (Cassiopeia), and you can quickly find the North Star.

The Big Dipper is a group of seven bright stars shaped like a spoon. Connect the two stars on the mouth of the spoon and extend about 5 times the distance of the connecting line toward the opening of the spoon shape, which is the North Star. The Cassiopeia constellation consists of 5 brighter stars, shaped like the letter "W", extending in the direction of the opening of the letter, about twice the width of the opening, is the North Star.

In addition, you can also use various surface features to determine the orientation and use it flexibly according to different situations.

For example, the main entrance of ancient temples usually faces south; independent trees usually have lush branches and leaves on the south side and smooth bark; the growth ring lines on tree stumps are usually sparse on the south and dense on the north; large rocks, mounds, and trees have dense vegetation on the south. Moss is more likely to grow on the north side; if it is a snowy winter, the snow on buildings, mounds, field ridges, and highlands usually melts faster in the south and slower in the north.