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==Compass points== | ==Compass points== | ||
Points of the compass (''north'', ''north-east'', ''southeast'', etc.), and their derived forms (''northern'' etc.) are not generally capitalized: {{xt|nine miles south of Oxford}}, {{xt|a northern road}}. They are capitalized only when they form part of a proper name, such as {{xt|Great North Road}}. | Points of the compass (''north'', ''north-east'', ''southeast'', etc.), and their derived forms (''northern'' etc.) are not generally capitalized: {{xt|nine miles south of Oxford}}, {{xt|a northern road}}. They are capitalized only when they form part of a proper name, such as {{xt|Great North Road}}. | ||
Doubts frequently arise when referring to regions, such as ''eastern Spain'' and ''Southern California''. If these have attained the status of proper names (as with ''[[North Korea]]'', ''[[Southern California]]'' or ''[[Western Europe]]''), then the direction word is capitalized. Otherwise it is not, as with ''eastern Spain'' or ''southwest Poland''. If you are not sure whether a region has attained proper-name status, assume it has not. | Doubts frequently arise when referring to regions, such as ''eastern Spain'' and ''Southern California''. If these have attained the status of proper names (as with ''[[Wikipedia:North Korea|North Korea]]'', ''[[Wikipedia:Southern California|Southern California]]'' or ''[[Wikipedia:Western Europe|Western Europe]]''), then the direction word is capitalized. Otherwise it is not, as with ''eastern Spain'' or ''southwest Poland''. If you are not sure whether a region has attained proper-name status, assume it has not. | ||
Follow the same convention for related forms: a person from the [[Southern United States]] is a ''Southerner''. | Follow the same convention for related forms: a person from the [[Wikipedia:Southern United States|Southern United States]] is a ''Southerner''. | ||
(Notice that compound compass points are usually joined in [[American English]], for example ''northwest'', while in [[British English]] they are sometimes written as separate words or hyphenated, as in ''north-west''. This also affects names of regions such as ''[[Southeastern United States]]'' and ''[[South East England]]''.) | (Notice that compound compass points are usually joined in [[Wikipedia:American English|American English]], for example ''northwest'', while in [[Wikipedia:British English|British English]] they are sometimes written as separate words or hyphenated, as in ''north-west''. This also affects names of regions such as ''[[Wikipedia:Southeastern United States|Southeastern United States]]'' and ''[[Wikipedia:South East England|South East England]]''.) | ||
==Institutions== | ==Institutions== | ||