Why are the poles called the north and south pole?

Answer 1

The north and south pole are the earth's equivalent of a bar magnet, with a north and south pole. If you hold a bar magnet up, tied to a piece of string, the north pole of the bar magnet will face the earth's north pole. The earth has an inner magnet.

Since the directions, north and south, pre-date the use of a magnetic compass, the compass needle was labeled according to which direction it pointed. The magnetic pole in the north is, in reality, a south magnetic pole since the north pole of a magnet is attracted to it. Try not to let that keep you awake tonight.

Answer 2

The poles are named based on their geographic location on Earth's axis. The North Pole is at the northernmost point on Earth, while the South Pole is at the southernmost point. The names simply reflect their positions in relation to the cardinal directions.

Answer 3

They have to be called something and we call latitudes on one side of the equator "North" and on the other side "South" so where these latitude circles become infinitely small we call them the Poles.

Answer 4

They are the points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects it's surface. They are directly opposite each other and should not be confused with the North and South Magnetic Poles.