About SnapDistance

Our Mission

SnapDistance exists to make distance information instant, accurate, and free. We believe everyone — travelers, students, logistics planners, and the simply curious — deserves quick access to reliable distance data without paywalls or accounts.

Who We Are

SnapDistance is built and maintained by the SnapDistance Team. We focus on making distance data accessible and easy to use, combining web development skills with an interest in geography and travel planning.

We use SnapDistance ourselves for trip planning, which drives our focus on practical features like travel time estimates, route comparisons, and timezone calculations.

Our Methodology

Every distance on SnapDistance is calculated using the Haversine formula — the industry-standard method for computing great-circle distance between two points on Earth's surface. This is the same mathematical approach used by the aviation and maritime industries.

How We Calculate

• Distance: Haversine formula using WGS84 Earth radius (6,371 km). Returns the shortest path over Earth's curved surface.
• Road estimates (only where shown): Shown only where surface travel between the two places is considered plausible — never across open water or closed borders. They are rough approximations (straight-line distance × 1.3, at about 80 km/h), not live routing.
• Flight time: Distance ÷ 800 km/h (cruising speed) + 30 minutes for takeoff/landing procedures.
• Timezone: Based on each city's IANA time zone, including daylight-saving rules.

Data Sources

City coordinates and names are sourced from OpenStreetMap, a community-driven open-source mapping project with contributions from millions of users worldwide. Population data is based on the latest available census estimates. We cross-reference multiple sources to ensure accuracy.

Accuracy & Limitations

Our straight-line distances are accurate to within 0.5% of true great-circle distance. However, all results are estimates:

• Real road distances differ from straight-line distances and from our rough road estimates
• Flight paths vary due to air traffic control, weather, and airspace restrictions
• Travel times depend on traffic, road conditions, and airline scheduling
• Time-zone rules can change; check local sources for exact dates of clock changes

This tool is for informational and planning purposes only — not for navigation, flight planning, or safety-critical applications. See our full disclaimer.

Privacy-First Philosophy

All distance calculations run 100% in your browser. We don't store your searches, track your location, or require account creation. Your distance queries never leave your device.

We use Google Analytics with Consent Mode v2 to understand general site usage (e.g., which pages are visited). Analytics cookies are only set if you accept them in our cookie banner. We do not sell personal data. SnapDistance may use advertising services such as Google AdSense to fund the site in future; if so, our Privacy and Cookie Policy will be updated before any ads go live. Read our Privacy Policy.

What We Cover

SnapDistance has hundreds of route pages between major world cities, city and country hubs that organise those routes, and supporting guides and tools for common distance-related questions.

Editorial Standards

All content on SnapDistance is written and reviewed by the SnapDistance Team. Our guides follow these principles:

• Accuracy first: Every distance, travel time, and fact is verified against our calculation engine
• Practical focus: We prioritize actionable information over theory
• Ongoing review: Content is reviewed and updated to ensure continued accuracy
• No affiliate links: We don't sell travel products or accept paid placements

Independence

SnapDistance is an independent project. We are not affiliated with any airline, travel agency, map provider, or navigation company. Our recommendations are based purely on distance data and practical travel considerations.

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