The Island Map

The Compass Variance

Using the sun’s rising and setting as an indicator for due east and west, Sayid observes that compasses on The Island don’t point due north. The variance would appear to be confirmed by Rousseau’s map. The compass rose she has drawn on her map has a line drawn through it, as well as a parallel line and arrow with a notation containing “var.” We can assume that Rousseau has also noticed this phenomenon, and that the “var” stands for “variance.”