Coordinates · halfway point
Midpoint between two coordinates.
Enter two points. Get the latitude and longitude exactly halfway along the shortest path between them, in decimal degrees and DMS.
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The geographic midpoint of two points
The midpoint is the point on the great-circle arc that is equally far from both ends. Averaging the two latitudes and longitudes is only a rough shortcut and goes wrong near the poles or across the 180° meridian. The exact version, from the Aviation Formulary's intermediate-point formula at the halfway fraction, is: Bx = cos φ2 × cos Δλ, By = cos φ2 × sin Δλ, φm = atan2(sin φ1 + sin φ2, √((cos φ1 + Bx)² + By²)), λm = λ1 + atan2(By, cos φ1 + Bx).
Worked example. The midpoint of Toronto (43.6532, -79.3832) and London (51.5074, -0.1278) is 54.8108, -43.3154, 2,856 km from each. It sits further north than the average of the two latitudes (47.5803) because a great circle bulges towards the pole.
If the two points are exactly opposite each other on the globe there are infinitely many shortest paths, so no single midpoint exists and the tool reports that. This is the midpoint of a route, not the centre of a group of three or more places.
Frequently asked questions
Which earth radius does this use?
The mean radius of the WGS 84 ellipsoid, 6371.0088 km. Treating the earth as a sphere can differ from an ellipsoidal calculation by up to about 0.3%, so it is right for planning and general use but not for surveying.
Can I type degrees, minutes and seconds?
Yes. Each box accepts decimal degrees (43.6532), degrees and decimal minutes (43 39.19 N) or degrees, minutes and seconds (43°39′11″ N). Use a minus sign or the letters S and W for south and west.
Why is the midpoint not just the average of the coordinates?
The shortest path between two places is a great circle, which curves towards the nearer pole on a map. Averaging degrees ignores that curve and fails across the 180° meridian.
Can I find the centre of more than two points?
Not with this tool. It finds the midpoint of the shortest path between exactly two points.
Sources
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Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent or stored.
Scope
Spherical-earth calculation for planning and general use. Not for surveying or legal descriptions of land.