# The East Is The Orient. The West Is The Occident. The North and South Are:

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-east-is-the-orient-the-west-is-the-occident-the-north-and-south-are/743574>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 19, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-east-is-the-orient-the-west-is-the-occident-the-north-and-south-are/743574 "2016-01-19T14:58:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![botsgotme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@botsgotme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botsgotme)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-east-is-the-orient-the-west-is-the-occident-the-north-and-south-are/743574/21 "2016-01-20T09:07:12Z")

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So are the “podes” opposite the antipodes?

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**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-east-is-the-orient-the-west-is-the-occident-the-north-and-south-are/743574/22 "2016-01-20T09:34:18Z")

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Hyberborean apparently was an ancient greek word for a mythical land beyond the North wind.

> **[Definition of Hyperborean | Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/browse/hyperborean)**
>
> Hyperborean definition, one of a people supposed to live in a land of perpetual sunshine and abundance beyond the north wind. See more.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-east-is-the-orient-the-west-is-the-occident-the-north-and-south-are/743574/23 "2016-01-20T14:51:07Z")

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> [@Isilder](#):
>
> Um, the north is called the Arctic, and the south is called the Antarctic ?..in English (and most major european languages ?)

Australia is an English word, no?

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**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-east-is-the-orient-the-west-is-the-occident-the-north-and-south-are/743574/24 "2016-01-20T15:02:36Z")

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> [@Isilder](#):
>
> Um, the north is called the Arctic, and the south is called the Antarctic ?..in English (and most major european languages ?)

Not really. Those are particular zones, not terms for northern regions in general like boreal and austral are.

> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> Australia is an English word, no?

But in English it’s the name for a particular continent/country. Again, it doesn’t apply to southern regions in general.

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