Random Point Generator

This calculator generates one or more points at random locations on the surface of the earth.

    Notice

The "Search for place" and Google maps are no longer available on this webpage. You can still calculate random points by typing in the latitude and longitude for your starting point.
You can find latitude and longitude for addresses and cities at: Geocode Finder

Circular region - centered at starting point
Rectangular region - north, south, west and east limits
Select whole earth   Restrict area

   miles  km
  

 
 Courtesy of Google Maps
Text format Tab separators Comma separators

Find random location

You can generate random points over the whole surface of the earth or restrict the points to any circular or rectangular shaped area that you choose. Click on Restrict area to access a handy latitude/longitude search tool for millions of cities, towns and other places worldwide. See Help for details.

All flat maps distort the size and/or shape of the continents and other features to a certain degree. On a Mercator projection map, for example, Greenland appears to be the same size as South America although it is actually eight times smaller. If a dart is thrown randomly at a Mercator map, there is an equal chance that it will land in either Greenland or South America. The Random Point Generator solves this distortion problem by assuming that the earth is a sphere, and therefore when the calculator throws a virtual dart, all points on the earth's surface have an equal probability of being chosen.

What it can be used for

For the professional

This is a fast, easy to use GIS tool, ideal for generating random points for random sampling within circular or rectangular regions. There are many applications that use random sampling: zoology, forestry, geology, soils, agriculture, remote sensing, meteorology, demography and surveys just to name a few. The generated random points can be copied and pasted into a spreadsheet or other application.

For the Nonprofessional

Plan a trip to a random location. You can set the location of your home as the starting point, generate a random point within a certain distance, Then visit the location with a GPS unit. You can set up your own rules to eliminate points on water and other locations that you know you don't want to visit.

Other free online tools by GeoMidpoint

Geographic Midpoint Calculator

Find your personal center of gravity with the Geographic Midpoint Calculator.

Let's meet in the middle

This free tool finds the ideal restaurant or other point of interest halfway between two or more addresses. Meet your friend or business acquaintance for lunch.

Contact and miscellaneous

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Resources   Google Maps Mania
Throw a dart into a map and see where it lands