Find the antipode (opposite point on Earth) from latitude and longitude. Reverse the latitude sign and shift longitude by 180° to get the antipodal coordinates.
An antipode is the point on Earth's surface diametrically opposite another point: a line connecting the two through Earth's center forms a diameter in the usual globe model. The term comes from Greek roots meaning "opposite feet."
Away from the geographic poles, antipodal coordinates have latitudes equal in magnitude and opposite in sign, with longitudes differing by 180°. At a pole, longitude is not unique. Using Earth's mean radius of about 6,371 km as a spherical approximation, the straight-line center-to-center diameter is about 12,742 km (7,918 miles), while travel along Earth's surface between antipodes is roughly 20,000 km. Earth is not a perfect sphere, so exact physical distances depend on the Earth model used.
Most land locations have ocean at their antipodes. A commonly cited estimate is that about 15% of Earth's land area has land at its antipode, corresponding to roughly 4.4% of Earth's total surface being in land-to-land antipodal overlap. Large examples include parts of New Zealand opposite Spain and Portugal, and parts of eastern Asia opposite regions of South America.
To find an antipode, flip the latitude and shift the longitude by 180°:
Input the latitude and longitude of your starting location. You can find these coordinates from Google Maps, GPS devices, or mapping applications.
The calculator instantly shows the coordinates of the opposite point on Earth, displayed in both decimal degrees and cardinal directions.
Click "View on Google Maps" to see the antipodal coordinates and explore what is there, which is often ocean.
Find the antipode of New York City (Statue of Liberty):
Earth's land is unevenly distributed, so most land locations have ocean at their antipodes. A commonly cited estimate is that about 15% of Earth's land area has land at its antipode; this corresponds to roughly 4.4% of Earth's total surface in land-to-land antipodal overlap.
The antipode of the North Pole is the South Pole, and vice versa. The poles are unique points where latitude reaches its extreme (90° or -90°), and any longitude value works since all meridians converge at the poles.
Flip the latitude sign and add or subtract 180° from the longitude.
It is called the antipode, the point directly opposite a location on the globe.
Yes, though rare. True antipodal city pairs are difficult to find. Some examples include Hong Kong, China being roughly antipodal to parts of Argentina, and Christchurch, New Zealand being near-antipodal to southern Spain. However, most such pairings involve small towns or regions rather than major cities.
In a spherical Earth approximation using a mean radius of about 6,371 km, antipodes are about 12,742 km apart through the center and roughly 20,000 km apart along the surface. Because Earth is an oblate spheroid, exact physical distances depend on the Earth model and path definition.
No practical technology can drill through Earth. Temperatures and pressures increase enormously with depth, and human drilling has reached only on the order of 12 km, tiny compared with Earth's roughly 12,742 km mean diameter.
For any point on the equator (latitude 0°), its antipode is also on the equator but on the opposite side of Earth. The latitude stays 0°, and the longitude differs by exactly 180°.
A full circle is 360°. To get to the opposite side of Earth, you need to travel halfway around, which is 180°. Whether you add or subtract 180° depends on whether you're in the eastern or western hemisphere.
Land-to-land antipodes are uncommon. Some island and coastal regions have near-antipodal counterparts, but whether two named places are exactly antipodal depends on their precise coordinates rather than their general region names.
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