The Antipode of Each Point on Earth’s Surface Mapped
Have you ever wondered what lies directly on the other side of the planet from where you stand? If you could dig straight down through the Earth, where would you come out — in the middle of the ocean, or maybe in someone else’s backyard on another continent?
That’s what the concept of antipodes is all about — two points that are exact opposites on Earth’s surface, linked by an imaginary line running through the planet’s core.
Exploring Earth’s Antipodal Connections
Did you know that only about 15% of Earth’s land area is antipodal to other landmasses? This overlap represents just 4.4% of the planet’s total surface area. Most antipodes involve land-to-ocean pairs due to the uneven distribution of land and water.
The map below shows the world’s antipodal relationships using Lambert’s azimuthal equal-area projection — a projection that keeps the proportions of land and ocean true to scale. It’s one of the best ways to see how Earth’s opposite sides pair up without the usual distortion that comes with other map types.
You’ll notice that true land-to-land antipodes are surprisingly scarce. Most of Earth’s land sits north of the equator, while much of the Southern Hemisphere is covered by water. So, if you could actually dig through the planet from most places, you’d probably break the surface somewhere far out at sea.
For a broader perspective, here is another world antipodes map, shown in equirectangular projection. This map highlights cities and areas that are near-antipodes. Blue labels correspond to the cyan areas, and brown names match the yellow areas. Landmasses where blue and yellow overlap (colored green) are land antipodes.
If you’d like to find your own point on the opposite side of Earth, try this interactive map tool:
🔗 Antipodes Map Tool – vividmaps.com/maptools/antipode.html
Prefer something you can hang on your wall? Check out a few beautifully printed world map posters (affiliate links to Amazon) that showcase Earth’s geography in clear, detailed form.
