About the direction from New York
New York is a classic case where the great-circle direction surprises people. A flat map suggests east-southeast, but the shortest route over the globe heads north-east, across the North Atlantic. This is the bearing most calculators, including this one, use.
How to face 58° in New York
- Find true north using a phone compass that reports true heading or a map aligned to north.
- Turn clockwise from north by 58°. For reference, due east is 90°, south 180°, west 270°.
- If you use a magnetic compass, adjust for local magnetic declination; NOAA's declination calculator gives the current value for New York.
The figure is the great-circle initial bearing, the standard approach described by Movable Type Scripts and the same idea behind Google's Qibla Finder. See how it works for the details.
Common questions
What is the Qibla direction in New York?
From the approximate city center of New York, the Qibla is 58.5° clockwise from true north, roughly east-northeast.
How far is New York from the Kaaba?
About 10,306 km along the great circle, the shortest path over the Earth's surface.
Does the bearing change across New York?
Yes. This figure uses the city center, not your exact position. The difference depends on your distance from the center and from Makkah; it can be noticeable in cities close to the Kaaba, especially Jeddah. Use the live finder for your own location.