ABSTRACT
Approaching the topic of disorientation necessarily involves reflecting on orientation and its different meanings, a familiar theme within geographical enquiry. The study of the cardinal points and the familiar scheme of reference that they provide, encompasses cultural and political interpretations, geographical elements, local perceptions and mythological connections, which frequently have little to do with reassuring scientific precision. In Latin, as in the majority of languages, orientation was largely based on the apparent movement of the sun, orient-levant and occident-ponente. The use of the compass – the instrument of orientation par excellence – for divining and magical purposes, predates its use in navigation, from the Mediterranean to China. Language can often express disorientation. Maps are above all a language, the translation onto a sheet of paper of the extraordinary complexity and dynamism of a territory, a translation that implies distortion, error, and fantasy.
