Points of the Compass
A while ago I posted about the countries that I’ve visited over the years. The result is summarized in this map:
You can see that I haven’t seen that much of the world. In fact the map exaggerates what I have seen, because the only place I have visited in Canada was Toronto (and some places to the West of that); I have visited the USA too, but not Alaska. Likewise the only bit of Australia I’ve visited is Sydney and environs.
Anyway, I saw a thread on BlueSky yesterday which was asking people what was the furthest places on land they have visited North, South, East, and West. Here are my answers:
- North. Tromsø (Norway), Latitude 69° 39′ N;
- South. Cape Town (South Africa), Latitude 33° 55′ S;
- East. Sydney (Australia). Longitude, 151° 12′ E;
- West. San Francisco (USA). Longitude, 122° 27′ W.
I was initially tempted to put Nagoya (Japan) as my furthest East, but at a mere 136° 55′ it’s nowhere near as far East as Sydney. I wasn’t sure which of Sydney or Cape Town is furthest South either, but Sydney is just a little further North (33° 52′). I went to Tromsø years ago for an Aurora watch, which was great fun. Other than that my furthest North is Reykjavik (Iceland). Many of my observational astronomy colleagues will have been to Hawaii, which easily beats me in the westerly direction. Others have been to Antarctica, which beats me down under.
So my span is about 270° E-W (maximum of 360°) and about 103° N-S (maximum of 180°). Not that impressive really.
Anyway, should you be so inclined, feel free to add your own extremities via the comments box!
In the Dark 
August 8, 2025 at 7:40 pm
@telescoper.blog TIL Cape Town is south of Sydney! Thank god I read your whole post before replying…!
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August 8, 2025 at 8:13 pm
@telescoper.blog
…And since you were asking…
North: Nyhavn, Kong Oscar Fjord, Greenland
South: Napier, New Zealand
East: Napier, New Zealand
West: San Francisco, USA
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August 9, 2025 at 3:51 pm
too bad you didnt go to Alaska, as you could have been both farther east and farther west (on land) within a stone throw. And yes, I have been at that point in the Aleutians
August 9, 2025 at 3:54 pm
In Alaska I could have beaten my most Northerly too…
August 9, 2025 at 8:23 pm
Does this include travelling in aircraft? What about those of us who have travelled across the Pacific between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres?
August 9, 2025 at 8:27 pm
Well, I haven’t done that but I meant points on land.
August 9, 2025 at 9:05 pm
That narrows things somewhat.