The magnetic interactions in large arrays of ordered magnetic nanowires with 12-48 nm diameter and 55-95 nm spacing were investigated using modified Henkel plots. The measurements for nanowire arrays ac demagnetized with the field applied parallel to the nanowire axis (the easy magnetization axis) indicate that the dominant interaction during the switching process is the magnetostatic coupling between the nanowires. Nevertheless, while the strength of the magnetostatic interactions increases with the magnetic moment associated with the nanowires, the increase is not linear with respect to the volume of the nanowires. Moreover, the dependence of the remanence curves on the field history suggests that even for magnetic nanowire systems with high geometric anisotropy, the magnetic pole structure of the nanowires can be complex. This conclusion is also supported by the field dependence of the initial magnetization curves. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.