# Why is a current carrying loop considered a dipole?

I am unable to understand why a current carrying loop is considered a dipole. Why exactly is it called a "dipole", which two poles are we referring to and how do those two poles function as the north and south pole of a magnet?

A long way away from the current loop, compared with its characteristic linear dimension (for example its diameter) the magnetic field, $\vec{B}$, follows an inverse cube law and is exactly the same in magnitude and direction as the field due to a small dipole (of suitable strength and orientation) whose poles give rise to inverse square law radial fields, one inwards, one outwards. This result is derived in old fashioned textbooks.
• @Philip Wood There is no such thing. The south is where the field lines go in and the north where they come out. The argument that the lined do not "start" or "end" is invalid. Also for a permanent bar magnet the lines continue inside the material. $\vec \nabla \cdot \vec B = 0$. Jul 19 '18 at 17:18