Definition:Cardinal Directions

Definition
The $4$ cardinal directions:
 * North
 * South
 * East
 * West

are the basis of navigation and geographical coordinates.

Also known as
The (terrestrial) cardinal directions are often referred to as the cardinal points, despite the fact that they are not actually points.

The (celestial) cardinal points are also seen referred to as the cardinal directions when the context refers to the direction towards those cardinal points.