I've noticed that a lot of the maps I see on various websites and leaflets for the Bangkok area have the south side at the top of the map, which is a bit disorienting for me. Has it always been like this in Thailand?

You need to turn the map... or buy yourself a good map.

I've never seen this...

Do you mean like this...

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0071/5032/products/upside_down_2.png?v=1357282201

(quite disorientating, i'll say!)

Common not only in Thailand but in a lot of Asia. And it's not necessarily south that's at the top of the map. You must always check the orientation of any map in Asia to determine its directions.

Just had the same issue in Japan... Exiting the Subway, looking for the correct exit...

Its a bit confusing trying to exit at the South West Corner which appears North West as the location map on the wall has been printed 90 deg off.

A "south" map is just as valid as a "north" map

Moved to Travel

Sometimes fixed maps are oriented in the direction you're facing when reading the map.

In Taipei (on some trains?) the subway maps on opposite sides of the carriage are mirror images of one another, to reflect the direction of travel.

SC

some of the map helpfully provided on the klong boat stop stations in bkk are unfortunately not orientated to the area they depict and so are unnecessarily difficult to read.

common sense would suggest you orient them correctly...

Everything in Thailand is "arse-about-face" !!

The commercial maps that I have bought in shops were correct.

But if you mean this misc. "handmade"/"drawn" maps that you find on websites, leaflets etc,:

completely erratic! Drawn just to best fit in a certain rectangle

You need to turn the map....

Or yourself......

or on Windows ..... Ctrl+Alt+ ↓

There no reason that the north should be up or down, as far as the earth is concerned when you are looking at it from the outside, there is no up or down

the reason why most maps we see were depicting the north up is because they were made by and for northerners

There no reason that the north should be up or down, as far as the earth is concerned when you are looking at it from the outside, there is no up or down

the reason why most maps we see were depicting the north up is because they were made by and for northerners

Pictures of earh shown from outside show that what we call " north " is up

Compass show the north,it's much easier to read a map when it's oriented north

nasa picture

There no reason that the north should be up or down, as far as the earth is concerned when you are looking at it from the outside, there is no up or down

the reason why most maps we see were depicting the north up is because they were made by and for northerners

Pictures of earh shown from outside show that what we call " north " is up

Compass show the north,it's much easier to read a map when it's oriented north

nasa picture

There is no up or down in space

Compass indicate North, the opposite of South and nothing else, this does not change regardless of how a map is drawn , If it is easier for you

it is only because that is what you are used to, and you are used to that because you are from the north where maps are drawn that way, because northerners like to think that they are on top.

If you dispute that argument go to the North, place a ball on the floor, and see if it roles south.

The only down is at the center of the Earth

PS: this is a good thing, if it was not so, all our thing would by now have rolled to the south and we would be bussy nagotiating with the southerners to get them back, plus can you imagine the difficulty of rolling them buck up

Edited May 2, 201511 yr by sirineou

I tend to stick to more than 500 years of Euro-centric culture.

Europe is the center, North is on top

There no reason that the north should be up or down, as far as the earth is concerned when you are looking at it from the outside, there is no up or down

the reason why most maps we see were depicting the north up is because they were made by and for northerners

Pictures of earh shown from outside show that what we call " north " is up

Compass show the north,it's much easier to read a map when it's oriented north

nasa picture

There is no up or down in space

Compass indicate North, the opposite of South and nothing else, this does not change regardless of how a map is drawn , If it is easier for you

it is only because that is what you are used to, and you are used to that because you are from the north where maps are drawn that way, because northerners like to think that they are on top.

If you dispute that argument go to the North, place a ball on the floor, and see if it roles south.

The only down is at the center of the Earth

PS: this is a good thing, if it was not so, all our thing would by now have rolled to the south and we would be bussy nagotiating with the southerners to get them back, plus can you imagine the difficulty of rolling them buck up

Maybe your demonstration is good, but here we speak of Earth; I use often a compass with a map and I like to have my map oriented to the north, it's much easier : nothing to do with so called " northern people think they are on top ( maybe I am Australian ) "

There no reason that the north should be up or down, as far as the earth is concerned when you are looking at it from the outside, there is no up or down

the reason why most maps we see were depicting the north up is because they were made by and for northerners

Pictures of earh shown from outside show that what we call " north " is up

Compass show the north,it's much easier to read a map when it's oriented north

nasa picture

There is no up or down in space

Compass indicate North, the opposite of South and nothing else, this does not change regardless of how a map is drawn , If it is easier for you

it is only because that is what you are used to, and you are used to that because you are from the north where maps are drawn that way, because northerners like to think that they are on top.

If you dispute that argument go to the North, place a ball on the floor, and see if it roles south.

The only down is at the center of the Earth

PS: this is a good thing, if it was not so, all our thing would by now have rolled to the south and we would be bussy nagotiating with the southerners to get them back, plus can you imagine the difficulty of rolling them buck up

Maybe your demonstration is good, but here we speak of Earth; I use often a compass with a map and I like to have my map oriented to the north, it's much easier : nothing to do with so called " northern people think they are on top ( maybe I am Australian ) "

it is equally reasonable to show North on top as it is to show it at the bottom,

if a Northerly oriented map make's it easier for you, sure why not

PS: youcan take the boy out of the Europe, but you cant take the Europe out of the boy

I often orient the map in the direction I'm facing. Generally, I don't have a compass with me, where North is, is irrelevant.

However, I often rely on a 'mental map' of my surroundings, based on paper or electronic maps I have seen - so that mental map generally has North at the top. My most severe navigational problems have occurred when I am not sure if I am on the Nprth side of the street or the South

I often orient the map in the direction I'm facing. Generally, I don't have a compass with me, where North is, is irrelevant.

However, I often rely on a 'mental map' of my surroundings, based on paper or electronic maps I have seen - so that mental map generally has North at the top. My most severe navigational problems have occurred when I am not sure if I am on the Nprth side of the street or the South

I also have a mental picture map with the North on top, it is a product of my Eurocentric upbringing, this will never change

I use the sun to navigate , if it is morning and I am facing the sun, North is to my left, south to my right and west behind

Reverse the process after noon

At 12 pm I am lost

There no reason that the north should be up or down, as far as the earth is concerned when you are looking at it from the outside, there is no up or down

the reason why most maps we see were depicting the north up is because they were made by and for northerners

Pictures of earh shown from outside show that what we call " north " is up

Compass show the north,it's much easier to read a map when it's oriented north

nasa picture

There is no up or down in space

Compass indicate North, the opposite of South and nothing else, this does not change regardless of how a map is drawn , If it is easier for you

it is only because that is what you are used to, and you are used to that because you are from the north where maps are drawn that way, because northerners like to think that they are on top.

If you dispute that argument go to the North, place a ball on the floor, and see if it roles south.

The only down is at the center of the Earth

PS: this is a good thing, if it was not so, all our thing would by now have rolled to the south and we would be bussy nagotiating with the southerners to get them back, plus can you imagine the difficulty of rolling them buck up

Maybe your demonstration is good, but here we speak of Earth; I use often a compass with a map and I like to have my map oriented to the north, it's much easier : nothing to do with so called " northern people think they are on top ( maybe I am Australian ) "

it is equally reasonable to show North on top as it is to show it at the bottom,

if a Northerly oriented map make's it easier for you, sure why not

PS: youcan take the boy out of the Europe, but you cant take the Europe out of the boy

I thought in the Southern Hemisphere the white end of the compass pointed South

There no reason that the north should be up or down, as far as the earth is concerned when you are looking at it from the outside, there is no up or down

the reason why most maps we see were depicting the north up is because they were made by and for northerners

Pictures of earh shown from outside show that what we call " north " is up

Compass show the north,it's much easier to read a map when it's oriented north

nasa picture

There is no up or down in space

Compass indicate North, the opposite of South and nothing else, this does not change regardless of how a map is drawn , If it is easier for you

it is only because that is what you are used to, and you are used to that because you are from the north where maps are drawn that way, because northerners like to think that they are on top.

If you dispute that argument go to the North, place a ball on the floor, and see if it roles south.

The only down is at the center of the Earth

PS: this is a good thing, if it was not so, all our thing would by now have rolled to the south and we would be bussy nagotiating with the southerners to get them back, plus can you imagine the difficulty of rolling them buck up

Maybe your demonstration is good, but here we speak of Earth; I use often a compass with a map and I like to have my map oriented to the north, it's much easier : nothing to do with so called " northern people think they are on top ( maybe I am Australian ) "

it is equally reasonable to show North on top as it is to show it at the bottom,

if a Northerly oriented map make's it easier for you, sure why not

PS: youcan take the boy out of the Europe, but you cant take the Europe out of the boy

I thought in the Southern Hemisphere the white end of the compass pointed South

The compass does not point North

Maps don't work the same way here as they do elsewhere. I remember when I first moved here thinking I was being clever by showing a taxi driver where I wanted to go on google maps.

Maps don't work the same way here as they do elsewhere. I remember when I first moved here thinking I was being clever by showing a taxi driver where I wanted to go on google maps.

Maps in Thailand are very bad, I got an atlas in the past, many mistakes in a part of Thailand that I knew well

Thais and maps, not friends , but they know the way in their head !

I always have a compass on my watchband for quick orientation, having an idea of the map of the city in my head. It's an old Boy Scout and military habit from the days long before GPS. I especially get disoriented in big malls, so I always check my compass when entering.

The word "orientation" for a map comes from ages ago when European maps had East at the top of the maps. ("Orient" = East.) That was because Jerusalem was roughly east of much of Europe and was considered to be the center of the world in importance to medieval Christians. Now, when our maps show North at the top, we still use the term "orient" when using a compass to align the map to the land.

I too get a bit disoriented when a map is "oriented" other than to the North. Old habits die hard.

I always have a compass on my watchband for quick orientation, having an idea of the map of the city in my head. It's an old Boy Scout and military habit from the days long before GPS. I especially get disoriented in big malls, so I always check my compass when entering.

The word "orientation" for a map comes from ages ago when European maps had East at the top of the maps. ("Orient" = East.) That was because Jerusalem was roughly east of much of Europe and was considered to be the center of the world in importance to medieval Christians. Now, when our maps show North at the top, we still use the term "orient" when using a compass to align the map to the land.

I too get a bit disoriented when a map is "oriented" other than to the North. Old habits die hard.

I Phones have a very good compass located in the Utilities next to the calculator, I am sure Android based telephones have something similar.

Good explanation about the word Orientation, I personally did not know that

The reasons go back all the way to Copernicus who was the first to show mathematically that the sun was at the center of the universe, not the earth

When Thai's draw a map, they place their location at the center of their little universe, and everything else revolves around their start point so you can't use the compass orientation but must use their way points of up / down or right / left

As a world wide convention all architectural and technical drawings or plans orientate themselves with north being the top of the page , whether they are printed or electronic . Landscape plans will have a northpoint on the title block as matter of convention. Often the north point will show both north and magnetic north . But at the same time when you first open the plan you always verify and not assume.

As a world wide convention all architectural and technical drawings or plans orientate themselves with north being the top of the page , whether they are printed or electronic . Landscape plans will have a northpoint on the title block as matter of convention. Often the north point will show both north and magnetic north . But at the same time when you first open the plan you always verify and not assume.

Not all.

Most of our plans are aligned according to the route of the project, or to the grid of the building.

As I recall, the BTS local maps in the concourse are aligned to the station.

SC

when first here i made the mistake of showing a map to thais and asking directions pointing to the destination on the map... i soon came to the conclusion it was a waste of time as it would evolve into a group of thais turning the map around and around trying to find out where we were on the map,

Also made the same mistake when driving with a thai passenger beside me trying to use the map, after a while most would admit they had no idea about map reading,

When i first pick up or look at a map my normal reaction is to have north at the top then after turn it to suit my possition.

Edited May 3, 201511 yr by tingtongfarang