Latitude Longitude Distance Calculator

What is the Latitude Longitude Distance Calculator?

The Latitude Longitude Distance Calculator computes the great-circle distance (also known as geodesic distance) between two points on Earth's surface. This is the shortest distance over the Earth's surface, giving an "as-the-crow-flies" distance between two GPS coordinates.

The Haversine Formula

The calculator uses the Haversine formula, which determines the great-circle distance between two points on a sphere given their latitudes and longitudes:

a = sin²(Δφ/2) + cos(φ1) × cos(φ2) × sin²(Δλ/2)
c = 2 × atan2(√a, √(1-a))
d = R × c

Where:

• φ1, φ2 = latitude of point 1 and point 2 (in radians)
• λ1, λ2 = longitude of point 1 and point 2 (in radians)
• Δφ = φ2 - φ1 (difference in latitude)
• Δλ = λ2 - λ1 (difference in longitude)
• R = Earth's radius (mean radius = 6,371 km or 3,959 mi)
• d = distance between the two points

Understanding Latitude and Longitude

Latitude

• Measures how far north or south a point is from the Equator
• Ranges from -90° (South Pole) to +90° (North Pole)
• The Equator is at 0° latitude
• Positive values = North, Negative values = South

Longitude

• Measures how far east or west a point is from the Prime Meridian (Greenwich, UK)
• Ranges from -180° to +180°
• The Prime Meridian is at 0° longitude
• Positive values = East, Negative values = West

Common Coordinate Formats

Example Distances

Accuracy Considerations

• The Haversine formula assumes Earth is a perfect sphere with radius 6,371 km
• Actual accuracy is within ~0.5% for most distances
• For very precise surveying or long distances, the Vincenty formula using an ellipsoidal Earth model is more accurate
• This calculator is suitable for navigation, travel planning, and general distance estimation

Tip: You can find coordinates by right-clicking on Google Maps and selecting "What's here?" or by searching any location and copying the coordinates from the URL.