The calculated geographic center of any of 177 countries.
How this tool works
The geographic center shown is the area centroid, the balance point of the country or state's shape computed from its boundary polygons. For countries with far-flung islands or territories the centroid can fall outside the territory itself, or even in the sea, which is a real property of centroids rather than an error. Where distant territory pulls the overall center far from the main landmass (France with French Guiana, for example, whose overall center lies near Spain), the tool also shows the center of the largest landmass on its own. Pick a country or state to see the center marked on the map with exact coordinates.
What you can do with it
- Find the balance point of any country
- Compare official center claims (which often use different definitions) with the raw centroid
- Use centers as neutral reference points for distance comparisons
- Get exact coordinates in decimal degrees and DMS
Why use it
The center of a country is a surprisingly contested question because there are several defensible definitions. This tool gives the one that is mathematically unambiguous, computed the same way for every country so results are comparable. US states have their own dedicated state centers tool.