What is an antipode?
The antipode of a place is the point on the exact opposite side of the Earth — where you would come out if you could dig a straight tunnel through the center of the planet. The two points are 12,742 km apart through the Earth and 20,015 km apart over the surface, the longest distance between any two places on the globe.
How to find your antipode
- Search for a town, address or landmark, paste coordinates, or press My location.
- Or simply click anywhere on the left map. The right map jumps to the opposite side of the world, and both maps move together as you pan and zoom.
- You can also click the right map, or drag either pin, to work backwards from the other side.
- Read the place names and coordinates of both points, copy them, or share a link to the pair.
The antipode formula
- Latitude: keep the number and swap north and south — 40° N becomes 40° S.
- Longitude: add 180° and swap east and west — 10° E becomes 170° W, and 120° W becomes 60° E.
In decimal degrees: antipode latitude = −latitude, and antipode longitude = longitude + 180 (subtract 360 if the result is over 180).
- Madrid, Spain, is opposite the area around Wellington, New Zealand.
- Christchurch, New Zealand, is near the antipode of A Coruña in northwest Spain.
- Most of China, including Beijing and Shanghai, sits opposite Argentina, Uruguay and the South Atlantic.
- Hong Kong is close to the antipode of La Quiaca in northern Argentina.
- Almost all of the United States, Europe and Africa is opposite open ocean — dig straight down from New York and you surface in the Indian Ocean southwest of Australia.
Why most antipodes are in the ocean
About 71% of the Earth's surface is water, and the continents happen to sit mostly opposite oceans rather than opposite each other. Only about 15% of land has land on the other side, which is why the right map so often shows open sea.
Frequently asked questions
What is directly on the other side of the Earth from me?
Press My location or search your town; the right map shows your antipode and names the place or the ocean you would surface in.
How do I calculate an antipode by hand?
Flip the latitude between north and south, and add 180 degrees to the longitude, switching east and west. For example 51.5° N, 0.1° W becomes 51.5° S, 179.9° E.
Could you really dig through the Earth?
No. The deepest hole ever drilled reached about 12 km, less than 0.1% of the way. Below the crust the temperature rises to more than 5,000 °C at the core.
Is it day or night at my antipode?
The opposite. Your antipode is about 12 hours ahead or behind you, and its seasons are reversed: when it is summer where you are, it is winter there.