For other uses of the word pole, see Pole (disambiguation).
A geographical pole is a single fixed point on a spinning body or planet, at 90 degrees from the equator, based on the axis around which a body spins. For the purposes of cartography, it provides an agreed upon absolute point of measurement. These should not be confused with magnetic poles, which can also exist on a planet.
A geographicalpole is either of two fixed points on the surface of a spinning body or planet, at 90 degrees from the equator, based on the axis around which a body spins.
These should not be confused with magnetic poles, which can also exist on a planet.
For general information on poles and how they are defined, see the North Pole article.
It is the geographicalpole where all meridians converge, and should not be confused with the north magnetic pole, which is in the Canadian Archipelago.
The geographicpole does not coincide with the magnetic North Pole, which in the early 21st century lay at about 82°45′ N, 114°25′ W, or with the geomagnetic North Pole, which is at about 79°45′ N, 71°45′ W. For more information on North Pole, visit Britannica.com.
The North Pole is significantly warmer than the South Pole because it lies at sea-level in the middle of an ocean (which acts as a reservoir of heat), rather than at altitude in a continental land mass.
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