Our planet is vast — but just how vast? Here are the 10 longest point-to-point distances between inhabited places on Earth.
1. Wellington, New Zealand → Salamanca, Spain (~19,900 km)
Nearly antipodal, these two cities are among the furthest apart on Earth. The journey involves crossing the entire Pacific Ocean and most of South America. A direct flight — if one existed — would take over 22 hours.
2. Auckland, New Zealand → Seville, Spain (~19,800 km)
Another Antipodean pair. Auckland sits almost exactly opposite Seville on the globe. Geography students often learn this pair as a classic antipodal example.
3. Buenos Aires, Argentina → Shanghai, China (~19,700 km)
Crossing the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans, this route covers nearly half the Earth's circumference. The two cities share surprisingly similar latitudes — one in the southern hemisphere, one in the northern.
4. Los Angeles, USA → Singapore (~14,100 km)
The transpacific route from the US West Coast to Southeast Asia covers one of aviation's longest commercial corridors. Singapore Airlines operates non-stop service on this route.
5. London, UK → Perth, Australia (~14,500 km)
The Kangaroo Route — one of the world's longest commercial flight paths, taking over 17 hours non-stop. Qantas Flight QF9 from London Heathrow to Perth is among the longest scheduled flights by distance.
6. New York, USA → Johannesburg, South Africa (~12,800 km)
Spanning the Atlantic Ocean and crossing the equator, this transatlantic–transequatorial route connects the economic capitals of the US and Southern Africa.
7. Toronto, Canada → Sydney, Australia (~15,600 km)
A popular but lengthy route connecting two of the world's most multicultural cities. No direct service exists; travellers typically connect via Los Angeles or Dubai.
8. Chicago, USA → Nairobi, Kenya (~12,900 km)
Crossing the Atlantic and spanning nearly the full length of Africa. Ethiopian Airlines operates connections via Addis Ababa on this corridor.
9. Honolulu, Hawaii → Cairo, Egypt (~14,100 km)
From the middle of the Pacific to the ancient heart of North Africa. Honolulu sits 3,850 km from the US mainland, making this one of the most geographically isolated starts for an ultra-long-haul route.
10. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil → Tokyo, Japan (~18,600 km)
Connecting South America to the Far East, covering almost half of Earth's circumference. Brazil has a substantial Japanese-Brazilian community — the largest outside Japan — giving this route both cultural and historical significance.
Use our distance calculator to find distances between any two cities in the world.