What’s on the Other Side of Earth?

Directly opposite any point on Earth’s surfaceâ€”through the planet’s centerâ€”lies its antipode, a spot that is almost always open ocean. For most locations, the other side of Earth is not land at all, but a vast expanse of water, with the exact coordinates being the mirror image of your longitude and the opposite latitude.

The Concept of Antipodes

The word “antipode” comes from Greek, meaning “with feet opposite.” It describes two points on a sphere that are directly across from each other. If you could drill a hole straight through the center of the Earth and come out the other side, you’d emerge at your antipode. This geographic concept has fascinated mapmakers and explorers for centuries, and it’s a common mental exercise to imagine what lies beneath your feet on the far side of the globe.

To find an antipode, you simply take your latitude and flip its sign (north becomes south, and vice versa). For longitude, you subtract your current longitude from 180Â° and then change the sign (east becomes west, and vice versa). For example, if you are at 40Â°N, 100Â°W, your antipode is at 40Â°S, 80Â°E.

Why It’s Mostly Ocean

Approximately 71% of Earth’s surface is covered by water, so it’s statistically likely that any given antipode will be in the ocean. In fact, only about 3% of land on Earth has another landmass directly opposite it. The rest of the time, you’d surface in the middle of the Pacific, Atlantic, or Indian Ocean.

This has led to some surprising facts. For instance, the antipode of nearly all of Australia is the Atlantic Ocean, while the antipode of most of South America is the Pacific Ocean. The land masses that do have land antipodes are relatively rare, creating a kind of geographic curiosity.

Where Are the Land-to-Land Antipodes?

While most antipodes are watery, there are a few notable exceptions where land directly faces land. These are often popular trivia points:

Spain and New Zealand: Parts of Spain and Portugal are antipodal to parts of New Zealand’s North Island.
China and Argentina: A large portion of central China is directly opposite Argentina and Chile.
Indonesia and the Amazon: Parts of Indonesia are antipodal to the Amazon rainforest region of South America.
Hawaii and Botswana: The Big Island of Hawaii is antipodal to a spot in Botswana, Africa.

These pairings are fun to visualize, but they’re the exception rather than the rule.

How to Find Your Own Antipode

You can calculate your own antipode with a simple two-step process:

Latitude: Change the sign of your latitude. If you’re at 35Â°N, your antipode is at 35Â°S.
Longitude: Subtract your longitude from 180Â°, then change the sign. If you’re at 120Â°W, your antipode is at 60Â°E (180 – 120 = 60, and west becomes east).

Once you have those two coordinates, you can plug them into any online map to see what’s actually there. Most likely, you’ll see a blue dot in the middle of an ocean.

Common Misconceptions

One common myth is that if you dig straight down, you’ll end up in China. This is almost certainly false for anyone in the Americas or Europe. The only places that have China as an antipode are parts of South America, specifically Argentina and Chile. For someone in the United States, the antipode is typically in the Indian Ocean, near the islands of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

Another misconception is that the other side of the world is always hot or always cold. In reality, the temperature at your antipode depends on its latitude and climate, not on your own. If you’re in a cold northern winter, your antipode might be in a warm southern summer, but that’s just because of the seasons, not because of the antipodal relationship.

Practical Uses of Antipodes

While it’s mostly a curiosity, the concept of antipodes has some practical applications:

Telecommunications: In the early days of radio, the antipode was the point where a signal would be strongest if it traveled through the Earth’s center (though this is not physically possible today).
Spaceflight: For satellite communication, the antipode of a ground station is sometimes used to calculate the maximum distance a signal would need to travel.
Geology: Seismologists use antipodal points to study how earthquake waves travel through the planet’s interior, as waves that pass through the core arrive at the antipode after a specific time.

These uses are niche, but they show that the idea of “the other side” has real scientific value beyond just being a fun fact.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the antipode of New York City?

New York City is located at roughly 40.7Â°N, 74.0Â°W. Its antipode is at 40.7Â°S, 106.0Â°E, which is in the Indian Ocean, about 1,000 kilometers west of Australia. So, if you dug straight through from NYC, you’d come out in the middle of the ocean.

Is there any place on Earth where the antipode is also land?

Yes, but it’s rare. About 3% of Earth’s land has land on the opposite side. The most famous examples include parts of Spain and New Zealand, China and Argentina, and Indonesia and the Amazon. These are the only spots where you could theoretically walk out of your tunnel onto dry land.

Why do people think China is on the other side?

This misconception likely stems from the fact that China is a large, well-known country, and people assume it’s the most likely landmass to be opposite. However, the antipode of the US is mostly ocean, and the antipode of Europe is the Pacific Ocean. Only a small portion of South America actually has China as its antipode.

Can you actually dig a hole to the other side?

No. The Earth’s interior is extremely hot (over 5,000Â°C at the core) and under immense pressure. No known material could survive that environment, and the tunnel would collapse under gravity. Even if you could, the Coriolis effect would make the journey impossible without a specialized vehicle, and you’d likely be crushed before you got halfway.

What is the antipode of the North Pole?

The antipode of the North Pole (90Â°N, any longitude) is the South Pole (90Â°S, any longitude). This is the only point on Earth where every longitude converges, making the antipode unambiguous. The two poles are directly opposite each other.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.

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