What is the Haversine formula?

The Haversine formula calculates the great-circle distance between two points on a sphere given their latitudes and longitudes. It accounts for the Earth's curvature and gives the shortest surface path (as the crow flies), not driving distance.

What is 'bearing' in this context?

Bearing is the compass direction from one point to another, measured in degrees clockwise from north (0°). Initial bearing is measured at the starting point; final bearing is the direction of arrival at the destination. On long routes these differ.

Can I enter city names instead of coordinates?

Yes. Type a city or place name and click 'Look up'. The tool calls the free Nominatim OpenStreetMap geocoding API to resolve the name to latitude/longitude. No account or API key is required.

Why is the result different from Google Maps driving distance?

This tool gives the straight-line (great-circle) distance, not the road distance. Driving distance depends on roads, terrain, and routes, which is typically longer.

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Geographic Distance Calculator

Calculate great-circle distance between two locations using the Haversine formula.

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About this tool

The Geographic Distance Calculator computes the shortest surface distance between any two points on Earth. Enter latitude/longitude coordinates manually or type a city or place name to look up coordinates via the free Nominatim geocoding API (no API key needed). Results include the great-circle distance in kilometres, miles, and nautical miles, plus initial and final bearing and the midpoint coordinates. A simple SVG globe illustrates the two points and the arc between them.

How to use

1 Enter coordinates or a place name for Location A.
2 Enter coordinates or a place name for Location B.
3 Click 'Calculate Distance'.
4 Read the distance in km, miles, and nautical miles.
5 See initial bearing, final bearing, and midpoint in the results panel.

Frequently Asked Questions

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