Why Distance Matters in Travel Planning
Straight-line distance gives you a quick way to compare how far apart two cities are. For planning a trip, the actual route, time and cost matter; the road distance is always equal to or longer than the straight-line distance.
Well-Known Routes Worldwide: Straight-Line Distance
| Route | Straight line |
|---|---|
| New York–Los Angeles | ~3,940 km |
| London–Paris | ~340 km |
| Tokyo–Osaka | ~400 km |
| Sydney–Melbourne | ~710 km |
| Dubai–Abu Dhabi | ~100 km |
| Berlin–Munich | ~500 km |
| Madrid–Barcelona | ~500 km |
| Cairo–Alexandria | ~180 km |
| Mumbai–Delhi | ~1,150 km |
| São Paulo–Rio de Janeiro | ~350 km |
Convert Distance to Fuel Cost
Once you know the distance, use the Fuel Consumption Calculator to see how many litres you'll need and what the trip will cost. Enter the distance and your vehicle's average consumption.
What Is the Haversine Formula?
The Haversine formula calculates straight-line (as-the-crow-flies) distance. It treats Earth as a sphere and returns the arc length between two coordinate points. This is more accurate than measuring on a flat map, and the gap grows over long distances. The line between New York and London looks horizontal on a flat map, but in reality it arcs northward over the North Atlantic.