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Distance & area

Halfway point

Enter two places to see the point exactly halfway between them in a straight line, with the name of the nearest place. One more tap shows the point halfway along the driving route.

Example From New York to Chicago. Change the points to measure your own.

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Straight line Midpoint

Result

Midpoint

Looking up the name of the place…

 

Each side
360 mi
In a straight line
720 mi
Coordinates
41.45559° N, 80.74997° W
Open in Google Maps

Averaging the coordinates gives a different point, 14.6 mi away from this one: that shortcut doesn’t work on a round Earth.

Halfway along the route

Tap a way to travel to see the distance and time along the route.

Where to meet?

See the whole trip, or what’s around the meeting point.

Distance between two pointsMeasure the distance between any two places or points on the map, in miles or kilometers. Straight line vs driving distanceCompare the as-the-crow-flies distance with the real driving distance and see how much the road adds. Radius mapDraw a circle of any radius around a place and see how big it is and what lies inside it.

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How to use it

  1. Pick two places

    Search two towns, cities or addresses, paste coordinates, use your location or tap the map. Drag A or B to fine-tune.

  2. See the midpoint

    It shows up on the map with the nearest place, its coordinates and the distance on each side. Open it in Google Maps with one tap.

  3. Find halfway along the road

    Tap Driving, Cycling or Walking to also see the point halfway along the route, which is the one that works for meeting up.

What it’s for

  • Meet in the middle

    If you live far apart, find a town the same distance from both of you so nobody drives more than their share.

  • Break up a long drive

    See where the halfway mark of the route falls to plan a stop for lunch, gas or the night.

  • Pick a venue

    For a meeting, a family get-together or a game between two teams, the midpoint is a fair place to start looking.

  • Math and geography

    Compare the true midpoint with the average of the coordinates and see how a round Earth changes the math.

How it’s calculated

The true midpoint lies on the shortest line between the two places (the geodesic), the same distance from each. Mapsfera works it out on the WGS84 ellipsoid with GeographicLib in two steps. The quick shortcut, averaging the latitudes and longitudes, only comes close when the places are near each other.

Midpoint on the geodesic (what Mapsfera uses)

1) From A to B: distance s and bearing α₁. 2) From A, on bearing α₁, travel s / 2.

These are the inverse and direct problems of geodesy, solved with Karney’s method.

Averaging coordinates (doesn’t work)

M = ( (φ₁ + φ₂) / 2 , (λ₁ + λ₂) / 2 )

φ is latitude and λ is longitude. It gets worse the farther apart the points are and the closer they are to the poles.

Example: between New York and Chicago
New York 40.66270° N, 73.93870° W
Chicago 41.83700° N, 87.68490° W
Straight-line distance 720 mi (1,158 km)
On each side of the midpoint 360 mi (579 km)
Midpoint 41.45559° N, 80.74997° W
Nearest Census place Orwell, OH, 7.90 mi (12.7 km) away
Average of the coordinates 41.24985° N, 80.81180° W, 14.6 mi (23.4 km) from the midpoint

On a long trip the gap gets huge. Between New York and Honolulu, the true midpoint is at 38.86° N, 121.13° W, but averaging the coordinates gives 30.99° N, 115.89° W: 618 mi (995 km) off. The shortest path bends north, and a plain average can’t know that.

Midpoint vs halfway along the road

The straight-line midpoint can land on a mountain, in a lake or out at sea. For meeting someone, the point halfway along the driving route is more useful: Mapsfera walks along the route from the routing service and marks where half the miles are done, with the nearest place name.

Half the miles isn’t always half the time, though: if one half of the trip is on the interstate and the other on slow mountain roads, one of you will take longer. Keep that in mind when you pick a spot.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the halfway point between New York and Chicago?

As the crow flies, the point 41.45559° N, 80.74997° W, 360 mi (579 km) from each city. The nearest Census place is Orwell, OH, 7.90 mi (12.7 km) away. To meet up, also check the halfway point along the driving route in the tool.

Why can’t I just average the coordinates?

Because the Earth is round and lines of longitude get closer together toward the poles. Between New York and Chicago the average lands 14.6 mi (23.4 km) from the true midpoint; between New York and Honolulu, 618 mi (995 km) away.

What’s the difference between the midpoint and halfway along the road?

The midpoint is on the straight line, the same distance from both places. Halfway along the road is on the driving route, where half the miles are done. For meeting up, the second one is usually better.

Will it take both of us the same time to get there?

Not always. It splits the miles, not the time: if one side is on the interstate and the other on slow roads, one of you will take longer.

Can I use addresses or coordinates?

Yes. Each box takes towns, cities, street addresses and coordinates in any format (decimal, degrees, UTM, Plus Code or a Google Maps link).

How do I send the meeting point?

Tap Open in Google Maps under the midpoint or the halfway point and share it from there, or copy the Mapsfera link: anyone who opens it sees the same two places and the midpoint.

Related tools

All tools
Distance between two points Measure the distance between any two places or points on the map, in miles or kilometers. Distance between cities Pick two US cities and get the distance between them, both in a straight line and by road. Distance between ZIP codes Enter two US ZIP codes to get the distance between them and see both areas on the map. Straight line vs driving distance Compare the as-the-crow-flies distance with the real driving distance and see how much the road adds.

Sources