# tikz won't put drawings in correct coordinates

\draw[very thick] (12.5,0) node[left] {Nature} -- (12.5,2);


That code there does not work, no matter what I put in for 12.5. It just stays put in the left part of the page.

Help.

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tikz (or pgf) uses the smallest rectangular box that encloses the points used in the image. If you want the box to include e.g. the origin you can add a simple \draw (0,0); command:

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{tikz}

\begin{document}

\begin{tikzpicture}
\draw (0,0);
\draw[very thick] (12.5,0) node[left] {Nature} -- (12.5,2);
\end{tikzpicture}

\end{document}


Alternative approaches include specifying the bounding box explicitly

\useasboundingbox (0,0) rectangle (12.5,2);


or moving the picture as a whole, e.g.

\begin{flushright}
\begin{tikzpicture}
...
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{flushright}


or using \hspace{...} (e.g. \hspace{3cm} before and/or after the picture.