Distance Between Coordinates
Calculate the great-circle distance between two latitude/longitude points, with bearing and midpoint.
Decimal degrees (52.52) or DMS (52°31'12"N) — results update as you type.
- Distance (kilometres)
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- Distance (miles)
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- Distance (nautical miles)
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- Distance (metres)
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- Initial bearing (A → B)
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- Final bearing (arriving at B)
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- Midpoint
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- Angular separation
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Great-circle ("as the crow flies") distance, haversine formula, R = 6371 km. Calculated in your browser.
How it works
This calculator measures the shortest path over the Earth's surface between two latitude/longitude
pairs. It uses the haversine formula:
a = sin²(Δφ/2) + cos φ₁ · cos φ₂ · sin²(Δλ/2), then
d = 2R · asin(√a), with φ as latitude in radians, λ as longitude and
R = 6371 km (the IUGG mean Earth radius). The same inputs give the initial great-circle
bearing from A to B, the final bearing you arrive on at B, the great-circle midpoint and the angular
separation of the two points in degrees.
Both decimal degrees and degrees-minutes-seconds are accepted, in either order of sign convention:
-33.8688 and 33°52'08"S mean the same thing, as do 151.2093 and
151°12'33"E. North and east are positive, south and west are negative. Results appear
instantly as you type, and you can copy or download the full report as plain text. Because this is a
spherical model it ignores terrain, roads and flight corridors — a road trip or a flight will always
be longer than the straight-line figure shown here. The sphere is accurate to roughly 0.5% against
the WGS-84 ellipsoid: fine for planning, not for surveying.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the distance between two GPS coordinates?
Paste each point's latitude and longitude into the two boxes. The tool applies the haversine formula on a sphere of mean radius R = 6371 km: a = sin²(Δφ/2) + cos φ₁ · cos φ₂ · sin²(Δλ/2), then d = 2R · asin(√a). You get kilometres, miles, nautical miles and metres straight away, along with the initial and final bearings and the great-circle midpoint.
Can I enter degrees, minutes and seconds instead of decimal degrees?
Yes. Both formats work in every box: 52.5200 and 52°31'12"N are the same latitude, and -2.3522 and 2°21'08"W are the same longitude. North and east count as positive, south and west as negative, so you can use either a minus sign or a hemisphere letter.
How accurate is the great-circle distance?
The haversine formula treats the Earth as a perfect sphere, which is accurate to roughly 0.5% against the WGS-84 ellipsoid — a few kilometres over a transatlantic hop. It is the straight-line distance over the surface, so real driving, sailing or flight routes are always longer. Everything is computed in your browser and your coordinates are never uploaded.