An antipode is the point on the surface of the Earth that is diametrically opposite to a given location. If you drew a line through your current position all the way through the center of the Earth and out the other side, the point where it exits the surface is your antipode. Mathematically, to find the antipode you negate the latitude and add 180 degrees to the longitude (wrapping the result into the -180 to 180 range).

Antipode Calculator - Find the Opposite Side of the

Q: If I dig straight down, where do I end up?

For the vast majority of Earth's land area, the antipode is somewhere in the ocean, not another continent. About 15 percent of land has an antipode that is also land, and most of the remaining land points to open sea. Popular land-to-land antipodes include parts of Argentina to China, New Zealand to Spain, Hawaii to Botswana, and Malaysia to Ecuador. The iconic image of digging from the United States to China is a myth: a hole drilled straight down from the continental US would emerge in the Indian Ocean.

Q: Why are most antipodes in ocean?

Oceans cover about 71 percent of Earth's surface, so by area any random antipode has a 71 percent chance of landing in water. In addition, most of Earth's land is concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, while most of the opposite hemispheres are ocean. The distribution of continents makes land-on-land antipodes relatively rare. A famous exception is Madrid, whose antipode sits near Weber, New Zealand, close enough that the two towns are considered twin antipodes.

Q: Can I use this for jet lag or astronomy?

Yes. Your antipode is always on the opposite day-night cycle and in a time zone roughly 12 hours offset from yours. At solar noon where you are, it is solar midnight at your antipode. Astronomers use antipodal points to identify opposite zeniths and to plan observation campaigns that share the same star chart but twelve hours apart.

Find the exact point on the opposite side of the Earth from any latitude and longitude. Discover what is on the other side of the world if you dug straight down.

How to Use the Antipode Calculator

Enter any latitude and longitude in decimal degrees and the calculator instantly shows the coordinates of the exact point on the opposite side of the Earth. The math is simple: negate the latitude and add 180 degrees to the longitude, wrapping around the ±180 meridian. The default values are set to New York City, whose antipode sits in the Indian Ocean far southwest of Perth, Australia, about 12,740 kilometers away through the center of the Earth.

The Myth of Digging to China

The popular American saying "dig a hole to China" turns out to be geographically impossible. The continental United States lies entirely above 24 degrees north, which means the antipode of every US location is between 24 and 49 degrees south — nowhere near China. In fact, the antipode of almost every point in the continental US falls in the Indian Ocean, far from any land at all. If you really did dig straight down from New York City, you would emerge under about 3000 meters of water somewhere west of Australia. To reach China from an antipode, you would need to start in Argentina or Chile, which are actually Asia's antipodal neighbors.

Famous Antipodal Pairs

A few cities and regions famously sit near each other's antipodes. Madrid, Spain is almost exactly opposite Weber, New Zealand, and the two places bill themselves as antipodal twins. Wellington, New Zealand is close to the antipode of Alaegría, Spain. Shanghai is close to Buenos Aires. Auckland is close to Seville. Hawaii's antipode sits in Botswana. Malaysia is opposite parts of Colombia and Ecuador. Because most antipodes fall in ocean, these rare land-on-land pairs are geographic curiosities that make excellent trivia and travel plans for completionists.

Antipodes, Day-Night Cycle, and Time Zones

Your antipode is always on the opposite day-night cycle. When the sun is directly overhead at your location, it is directly underfoot at your antipode. That puts the two locations in time zones roughly 12 hours apart, though the exact offset depends on political time zone boundaries rather than pure longitude. This is why flight crews, astronomers, and amateur radio operators find antipodes useful: astronomers can plan observation campaigns that cover the same patch of sky 12 hours apart, and radio operators use antipodal propagation paths for long-distance contacts on shortwave bands.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an antipode?

The point on Earth's surface directly opposite to another, reached by drawing a line through the center of the Earth. Negate the latitude and add 180° to the longitude to find it.

If I dig straight down, where do I end up?

For almost all land on Earth, somewhere in the ocean. Only about 15 percent of land has an antipode that is also land. The "dig to China" saying is geographically false.

Why are most antipodes in ocean?

Oceans cover 71 percent of Earth, and most land is concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, while the Southern Hemisphere is mostly water. Land-on-land antipodes are rare.

How is antipode related to travel?

A flight to your antipode is the longest possible flight on Earth — about 20,000 km. Because every great circle passes through antipodes, any heading is a valid shortest route.

Can I use this for jet lag or astronomy?

Yes. Your antipode is on the opposite day/night cycle, about 12 hours offset in time, and sees the same stars you do but twelve hours earlier or later.

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