A circle contains 360 degrees. Explanation: If you start at the center of a circle and run 360 straight lines an equal angle apart to the edge of the circle, so as to divide the circle into 360 equal parts, THE DIFFERANCE OF DIRECTION BETWEEN EACH LINE IS ONE DEGREE.

In land descriptions, degree readings are not a measure of distance. They are combined with either North or South, to show the direction a line runs from a given point.

In Figure 8, the north-south line, and the east-west line divide the circle into 4 equal parts, which means that each part contains 90 degrees as shown. Several different direction lines are shown in this diagram, with the number of degrees each varies east or west from the north and south starting points (remember again that all description read from the north or south).

We all know what north-west is. It is a direction which is half-way between North and West. In terms of degrees the direction north-west would read, north 45 degrees west. (See Figure 8).