The compasses made nowadays are standardized according to international standards, with the red end of the magnetic needle being the North Pole of the needle, which is indicated by N, and the white end of the magnetic needle being the South Pole of the needle, which is indicated by S.
In the compass, the red end of N points to the north, because the geographic north pole of the earth is actually the south pole of the earth's magnetic field, so according to the principle of attraction of opposites, the north pole of the magnetic needle will be attracted to point to the south pole of the magnetic field, that is, the direction of the geographic north pole.
Extended Information:
China is the country recognized worldwide for the invention of the compass (Compass).
According to the Ancient Mining Records, it first appeared in the area of Magnetic Hill, Hebei Province (the area of Magnetic Hill in present-day Handan City, Hebei Province) during the Warring States period. The invention of the compass is the result of our Han Chinese working people's understanding of the magnetic properties of objects in their long-term practice.
As a result of productive labor, people came into contact with magnetite and began to understand the nature of magnetism. People first discovered the nature of the magnet to attract iron, and later discovered the magnet's directionality. After much experimentation and research, the practical compass was finally invented. The earliest compasses were made of natural magnets, which shows that the Chinese Han Chinese working people discovered natural magnets and their iron absorbing properties very early.
According to ancient books, as far back as the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, due to the slavery to feudal society in the transition of the period of great change, the productive forces have been a great development, especially agricultural production is more prosperous and developed, and thus contributed to the development of the mining industry, smelting industry. In the long-term production practice, people recognize the magnet from the iron ore. The earliest compass was the Sinan.
China.com - One of the Four Great Inventions of Ancient China: the Compass