What is the origin of the compass point east? How do you know exactly where East starts?

Question

I mean who put the East on the Compass? Where did they come from.

The Chinese 'invented' the compass but it had only North/South and China is in the East so logical they wouldn't norminated 'Home' as East?

Answer 1

You see where the sun rises... I think.

Answer 2

Origin?  Not sure what you mean.  East is where the sun rizes.  

   East is halfway between north and south.  Have a look at a compass rose.  All those 16, or 32 points of it.  They all have names, like ENE, or SbyESE.

Answer 3

China counts FIVE compass points:North, East, South, West and Middle/Centre. China is the Middle Kingdom, though how that helps find the place is beyond me.

Answer 4

East is East off the Greenich meridian

Answer 5

That is a great question, because if you are standing on the north pole, every direction you look is south, and vice versa.  But, no where is it that what longitudely.

Answer 6

East is 90 degrees clockwise from magnetic north. There is no starting point for east or west, only north and south (the magnetic poles of the planet).

Answer 7

The cardinal points on a compass, North, South, East and West are English words in common usage today.  The word East is likely derived from the Germanic Goddess of the Dawn, Eostre.

East is relative.  It has no beginning and no end.  If one faces North, East is to your right.  If you were to carry around the globe, a line from your right hand going east it would eventually touch your left hand.

There are only two points on the globe where there is no East.  That is at the poles.  From the North Pole, all directions are South, and from the South Pole, all directions are North.