A circle drawn on a map, (usually a navigational chart) which is subdivided in a clockwise direction from 0° to 360° , with 0° indicating true North On older maps and charts, it was a decorated diagram of cardinal directions, divided into 32 points, originally called rosa ventorum, or "rose of the winds"
The resulting figure when the complete 360° directional system is developed as a circle with each degree graduated upon it True North is indicated as 000° and is also called true rose This is printed on nautical charts for determining direction
(1) A circle on a chart indicating the direction of geographic north and sometimes also magnetic north Charts usually have more that one compass rose In that case the compass rose nearest to the object being plotted should be used as the geographic directions and magnetic variations may change slightly in different places on the chart (2) A device used to draw circles