When referring to the Earth's magnetic field, it is best to refer to it within seven components. The seven field relations are shown in the figure.
Inclination is the angle the earth's magnetic field makes with the horizontal.
To read more about magnetic declination or to calculate current declinations for locations around the world go to the Canadian National Geomagnitism Program web site. The earth can be thought of as having an electromagnet within it. The magnetic field of the earth therefore resembles the magnetic field that would be produced by such a magnet. However, the actual magnet field of the earth is much more complicated than this, so that many irregularities are evident when magnetic data are plotted on a map. In addition, the north and south magnetic poles of the earth are known to continually be shifting.