How Far Am I From the Equator?
Find out how far you are from the equator (0° latitude) in miles and kilometers. Use your GPS position or click anywhere on the map to see your distance measured due north or south along your meridian, plus your distance to the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, your hemisphere and climate zone.
How Far Are You From the Equator?
Use your location or click anywhere on the map to measure your distance to the equator and both tropics.
Because the Earth is an oblate ellipsoid flattened at the poles (flattening factor f = 1/298.257223563), the radius of curvature along a meridian is not constant. One degree of latitude is actually 1.12 km (0.70 mi) longer at the poles than at the equator!
| Latitude Band | Kilometers per 1° | Miles per 1° | Geodetic Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0° (Equator) | 110.574 km | 68.708 miles | Maximum equatorial bulge; smallest meridional curvature radius (6,335.4 km). |
| 45° (Mid-Latitude) | 111.132 km | 69.054 miles | Standard global mean degree approximation. |
| 90° (Poles) | 111.694 km | 69.404 miles | Maximum polar flattening; greatest meridional curvature radius (6,399.6 km). |
How to use the distance to the equator calculator
- 1Share or pick your location
Press Find My Distance from Equator to use your device location, or click any point on the map.
- 2Read your distance to the equator
See how far you are from the equator in miles and km, measured due north or south along your meridian.
- 3Compare with the tropics
Check your distance to the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, plus your hemisphere and climate zone.
How Far Am I From the Equator?
Your distance from the equator depends only on your latitude. The shortest way to the equator is due north or due south along your meridian, so moving east or west never changes the answer. Each degree of latitude is about 69 miles (111 km), so a quick estimate is your latitude times 69 miles.
The calculator does it exactly: it measures the meridian arc from your latitude to 0° on the WGS84 ellipsoid with GeographicLib. Because Earth is slightly flattened, degrees near the poles are a little longer than degrees near the equator, and the exact figure can differ from the quick estimate by a few miles at high latitudes.
Press Find My Distance from Equator to use your device location, or click anywhere on the map. The result also gives your distance to the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, your hemisphere, and whether you are inside the tropics. To see the line itself and the 13 countries it crosses, open the equator map.
Distance to the Equator From Major Cities
Distances below are WGS84 meridian arcs from each city's latitude to 0°, rounded to the nearest 5 miles. They are the same values the calculator returns for those latitudes.
| Place | Latitude | Distance to equator |
|---|---|---|
| Quito, Ecuador | 0.18° S | 10 mi (20 km) |
| Singapore | 1.35° N | 95 mi (150 km) |
| Nairobi, Kenya | 1.29° S | 90 mi (145 km) |
| Mexico City, Mexico | 19.43° N | 1,335 mi (2,150 km) |
| Miami, Florida | 25.76° N | 1,770 mi (2,850 km) |
| Sydney, Australia | 33.87° S | 2,330 mi (3,750 km) |
| Los Angeles, California | 34.05° N | 2,340 mi (3,770 km) |
| Tokyo, Japan | 35.68° N | 2,455 mi (3,950 km) |
| New York, New York | 40.71° N | 2,800 mi (4,510 km) |
| London, United Kingdom | 51.51° N | 3,545 mi (5,710 km) |
| Anchorage, Alaska | 61.22° N | 4,220 mi (6,790 km) |
Why Earth Bulges at the Equator
Earth is not a sphere; it is an oblate ellipsoid. Because Earth rotates on its axis once every 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds, centrifugal acceleration pushes mass outward toward the Equator.
Geophysical Constants on the WGS84 Reference Ellipsoid
- Equatorial Semi-Major Axis (\(a\)): 6,378,137.0 meters (3,963.19 miles).
- Polar Semi-Minor Axis (\(b\)): 6,356,752.3142 meters (3,949.90 miles).
- Equatorial Bulge Difference: Earth is 21,384.68 meters (13.29 miles) thicker across the Equator than from pole to pole.
Because you are approximately 13 miles farther from Earth’s center of mass at the Equator, and because centrifugal force opposes gravity with a speed of 1,670 km/h (1,037 mph), effective gravitational acceleration at the Equator is 9.780 m/s² compared to 9.832 m/s² at the North and South Poles. A person weighing 200 pounds in Alaska will weigh approximately 199 pounds in Ecuador—a real reduction of 0.5% in weight!
How Long Is One Degree of Latitude?
Because of polar flattening, the surface curvature of Earth is flattest near the poles and sharpest near the Equator. Consequently, the ground length of one degree of latitude is not constant:
M(\phi) = \frac{a(1 - e^2)}{(1 - e^2 \sin^2 \phi)^{3/2}} \times \frac{\pi}{180^{\circ}}- At Equator: M(0°) = a(1 - e^2) × (pi / 180) = 6,378,137 × 0.9933056 × 0.01745329 = 110,574.3 meters.
- At Poles: M(90°) = [a / sqrt(1 - e^2)] × (pi / 180) = [6,378,137 / 0.996647] × 0.01745329 = 111,694.0 meters.
- Difference: 111,694.0 m - 110,574.3 m = 1,119.7 meters (0.695 miles).
One degree of latitude is actually 1.12 kilometers (0.70 miles) LONGER at the North Pole than at the Equator because you must travel farther across the flattened polar surface to rotate your local vertical by one degree.
Equator Facts and Coriolis Myths
The Equator experiences unique celestial and physical mechanics:
- Constant 12-Hour Day and Night: Because the Equator exactly bisects the illuminated half of the planet throughout Earth’s annual solar orbit, day length at the Equator varies by less than two minutes throughout the entire year (12 hours 7 minutes, with the slight extension caused by atmospheric refraction).
- Instant Twilight: At the Equator, the Sun sets perpendicular (at a 90° angle) to the horizon rather than at a shallow diagonal angle. Consequently, the Sun sinks below the twilight thresholds (−6°, −12°, −18°) in minutes, transitioning from daylight to deep night with startling speed.
- The Tourist “Water Basin” Coriolis Myth: Street performers at tourist monuments in Ecuador and Kenya routinely demonstrate water swirling clockwise on one side of a line and counter-clockwise on the other. This is a complete physical hoax. The Coriolis acceleration (2v × Ω sin φ) is zero at the Equator and produces an acceleration on a household sink basin that is ten million times smaller than random water currents or drain shape asymmetry.
Distance to the Equator: Accuracy and Limitations
- Your result is only as good as your position: a phone GPS fix is typically within 5 to 20 meters, and a map click is as precise as your zoom level. The ellipsoid math itself adds no meaningful error.
- Monument Accuracy Discrepancies: Historic equator monuments (such as Mitad del Mundo in San Antonio de Pichincha, Ecuador, built in 1979) were surveyed using 18th-century French Geodesic Mission measurements. Modern GPS receivers place the true WGS84 0° 0′ 0″ parallel approximately 240 meters north of the monument.
- Seasonal Thermal Equator vs. Geographic Equator: The geographic Equator is fixed at 0° latitude. The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), or "thermal equator," migrates north and south throughout the year following peak solar irradiance.
Quick facts about the distance to the equator calculator
| Fact | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Equator Circumference | 24,901 miles | 40,075 km around Earth's waist |
| Tropic of Cancer | 23°26'10.7" N | Northernmost latitude where sun is directly overhead |
| Tropic of Capricorn | 23°26'10.7" S | Southernmost latitude where sun is directly overhead |
Edge cases and exceptions
Axial Tilt Drift
Earth's axial obliquity oscillates between 22.1° and 24.5° over a 41,000-year cycle, causing the Tropics to drift ~15 meters per year.
The distance to the equator calculator: worked examples
Solar Insolation Planning
Scenario: Determining solar panel angle for a home in Texas.
Outcome: Calculates distance from Equator (2,090 miles) and latitude (30.26° N) to optimize tilt angle.
Frequently asked questions about the distance to the equator calculator
What is the Equator?
The Equator is the imaginary circle around Earth equidistant from the North and South poles, dividing the globe into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
How far is one degree of latitude?
One degree of latitude is approximately 69 miles (111 kilometers) anywhere on Earth.
How do I find how far I am from the equator?
The tool measures the distance along the meridian from your latitude to 0°. Each degree of latitude is about 69 miles (111 km), so 40° N is roughly 2,760 miles from the equator.
How many miles am I from the equator?
Multiply your latitude by about 69 miles (or 111 km). The tool does it exactly on the WGS84 ellipsoid: at 30° N you are about 2,063 miles (3,320 km) from the equator, at 45° about 3,098 miles (4,985 km).
Is distance to the equator measured in a straight line?
It is measured due north or south along your meridian, which is the shortest path on the ground to the equator. Moving east or west does not change it.
What are the tropics?
The region between the Tropic of Cancer (23.44° N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.44° S), where the Sun can be directly overhead.
Which hemisphere am I in?
North of the equator is the Northern Hemisphere and south is the Southern. East or west of the prime meridian gives the Eastern or Western Hemisphere.
Why is the weather warm near the equator?
Sunlight strikes at a steep angle all year, so the tropics receive the most solar energy.
Do seasons exist at the equator?
There is little change in temperature or day length. Many equatorial regions have wet and dry seasons instead of winter and summer.
How long is a day on the equator?
Daylight lasts almost exactly 12 hours all year.
What latitude is the equator?
0° latitude. The equator is the great circle exactly halfway between the poles, and every other parallel is measured in degrees north or south of it.
Why are rocket launch sites near the equator?
Earth's rotation gives about 1,670 km/h of free eastward speed at the equator, which saves fuel.
What is the speed of rotation at the equator?
About 1,670 km/h (1,037 mph), the fastest on Earth's surface.
Do you weigh less on the equator?
Slightly. Rotation and the equatorial bulge reduce effective gravity by about half of one percent compared with the poles.
How far is the equator from the poles?
About 6,215 miles (10,002 km) from each pole along a meridian.
How far is New York from the equator?
Midtown Manhattan is at about 40.71° N, roughly 2,800 miles (4,509 km) north of the equator measured along its meridian.
How far is the Tropic of Cancer from the equator?
About 1,611 miles (2,593 km) due north. The Tropic of Capricorn is the same distance south.
Where can I see the equator and the countries it crosses?
Open Map Lab's Equator Map shows the line on a world map with a table of the 13 countries it crosses and where it enters and leaves each one.
Keep exploring
What to do with this result
- Equator Map: Where the Equator Is & the Countries It CrossesUse this to see the equator on a world map with the countries it crosses.
- Latitude and Longitude Finder (GPS Coordinates of Any Place)Use this to find latitude and longitude.
- The Tropic of Cancer (Northern Tropic)Use this to locate the Tropic of Cancer.
- Antipode Finder — Exact Opposite Point on EarthUse this to find your antipode.
- Latitude and Longitude Map (Graticule Grid)Use this to view a latitude and longitude grid map.