Start Location Antipodal Exit Distance (km) Ocean/Land Ushuaia, Argentina Xi’an, China 19,740 Land Moscow, Russia New Zealand (south of Wellington) 19,400 Ocean Los Angeles, USA Kerguelen Islands, Indian Ocean 19,200 Ocean Madrid, Spain Weymouth, New Zealand 19,800 Ocean Cape Town, South Africa...

Where Would You End Up If You Dug A Hole Through The Earth?

You'd pop out on the exact opposite side of the planet.

If you could burrow straight through from any spot, you'd emerge at your exact antipodal point. Most Northern Hemisphere exits land in the Indian or Pacific Oceans. But dig from southern Argentina, and you'd surface in China’s Shaanxi Province—pretty wild, right?

Quick Fact

Start in Ushuaia, Argentina, and you'd exit near Xi’an, China.

Those coordinates (54.8019° S, 68.3030° W) take you to 34.3416° N, 108.9398° E. It’s one of the few city pairs where both ends are on solid ground.

Geographic Context

Earth’s shape means every point has a mirror counterpart 12,742 km away through the planet’s center.

Oceans cover 71% of Earth, so most antipodes land in water. Only about 3% of land spots have land antipodes—Ushuaia and Xi’an are one of the rare pairs that actually match up.

Key Details

Start Location	Antipodal Exit	Distance (km)	Ocean/Land
Ushuaia, Argentina	Xi’an, China	19,740	Land
Moscow, Russia	New Zealand (south of Wellington)	19,400	Ocean
Los Angeles, USA	Kerguelen Islands, Indian Ocean	19,200	Ocean
Madrid, Spain	Weymouth, New Zealand	19,800	Ocean
Cape Town, South Africa	Hawaii, USA (north of Honolulu)	19,600	Ocean

Interesting Background

The idea of a “dig through Earth” tunnel has fascinated people for centuries.

Back in 1638, English cleric John Wilkins floated the idea in Mathematical Magic. Then Jules Verne turned it into pure adventure with Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864). Realistically? No material could handle the 5,000°C (9,032°F) heat and pressure of the mantle. The Kola Superdeep Borehole in Russia only reached 12.3 km in 1989—that’s 0.2% of the way to the center.

If this tunnel existed, gravity would pull you fastest at the center (where you’d float), and air resistance would stop you at the exit. You’d make the 42-minute trip without burning up or getting crushed—assuming you survived, of course.

Practical Information

You can’t dig to China, but you can walk between antipodal cities that share land links.

Xi’an and Ushuaia are 19,740 km apart—about 25 hours by nonstop flight. The route crosses the Pacific, South America, and Asia, just like the theoretical tunnel would. Starting in 2026, you can even catch direct seasonal flights from Ushuaia to Shanghai.

For a fun experiment, try Antipodes Map. Drop any pin, and it shows your exact opposite. It’s a great way to see Earth’s scale—and how rare land-to-land tunnel partners really are.