# Digging to China and vice versa **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2000, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digging-to-china-and-vice-versa/37356 "2000-10-18T02:24:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![don\_willard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@don\_willard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_willard)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2000, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digging-to-china-and-vice-versa/37356/21 "2000-10-26T20:45:01Z")
I completely forgot that the center of the earth that I was going to go through in an asbestos suit after digging down to it isn’t a hot liquid iron, it is actually an enormous crystal of iron and nickel! Now how do I get around that? I’ll have to bore through the crystal. Also, I wonder if it a big cube, as I presume most metals crystalize in the cubic system? ---
**Author:** ![scratch1300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@scratch1300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch1300)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2000, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digging-to-china-and-vice-versa/37356/22 "2000-10-27T15:04:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by scratch1300 \* > **That’s the _antipodes_. There’s a term _antiscians_ for the point on the globe that’s the same longitude as you, but the opposite latitude, for instance, here in New England our antiscians is Patagonia. And there’s _another_ term for that point on the globe that’s the same latitude, but the opposite longitude. And, for the U.S., that _would_ be China! But…_I can’t remember the name of this term!_** OK, I’ve got it. _Antipodes_ (meaning “opposite feet”) means the point directly across the globe. _Antiscians_ (meaning “opposite shadow”) means any point along the same longitude as you, but in the opposite (north or south) hemisphere; or more specifically, the point along the same longitude but opposite latitude. And _antecians_ (meaning “opposite dwellers”) is the point along the same latitude, but opposite longitude. (though at least one other source gives it the same definition as _antiscians_). A follow-up question: is there a website where I can find my antipodes/antiscians/antecians by keying in my co-ordinates? From just looking on a map, I find it hard to tell whether my antiscians is in Argentina or in Chile, or whether my antecians is in China or in Mongolia. Any help before I start digging? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2000, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digging-to-china-and-vice-versa/37356/23 "2000-10-27T15:53:03Z")
They are easy enough to compute: Your antipodal point - switch the sign on your latitude number, subtract your longitude from 180 and switch sign. eg. I’m at about 37 N, 122 W. My anyipodal point is about 37 S, 58 E in the Indian Ocean SE of Madagascar. The other two simply involve holding one coordinate constant, and switching the sign on the other. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2000, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digging-to-china-and-vice-versa/37356/24 "2000-10-27T16:00:15Z")
Oh, your antecians point would be 180 - your longitude with the sign switched, if I take the meaning correctly. Sorry about that. I’m then assuming you have access to a map with decently marked longitude / latitude lines. And don’t I love having an “anyipodal” point … that’s a good word. It out to mean something. ---
**Author:** ![scratch1300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@scratch1300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scratch1300)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2000, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digging-to-china-and-vice-versa/37356/25 "2000-10-27T18:08:53Z")
**yabob** , that’s my prob. I _don’t_ have a good, close map of either Mongolia or Patagonia, and I can’t find a place on the web with these maps. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2000, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digging-to-china-and-vice-versa/37356/26 "2000-10-27T21:36:46Z")
I still have a paper atlas lying around. I’ll bet if you dig through the appropriate category at yahoo you can find an online map reference that has longitudes and latitudes marked on them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/digging-to-china-and-vice-versa/37356.md?page=1)