Published : 2024-12-20
Do you know which country is the farthest from China on Earth and how far it is? What is behind Hong Kong?
Two extreme points on Earth: Antipodes

Before revealing the answer, let's first talk about a geographical concept.
The Earth is spherical, so the farthest point from any place is the exact opposite point in geographical position, which is the two ends of the Earth's diameter.
If you dig vertically downward from point A on Earth, pass through the centre of the Earth and emerge at point B on the other side, point B is the farthest place from point A.
Because points A and B are at opposite ends of the Earth, if point A is in the Northern Hemisphere, point B must be in the Southern Hemisphere; if point A is in the Eastern Hemisphere, point B will be in the Western Hemisphere.
The two places also have a 12-hour time difference and opposite seasons. In geography, these two points are called "antipode".
Read more: At 2250 km! The world's farthest inland city is in China
San Salvador de Jujuy is 20,000 km away from Hong Kong

On Earth, the distance between antipodes is half the Earth's circumference, roughly around 20,000 km.
How far is 20,000 km? After the Russia-Ukraine conflict, flights from Hong Kong to New York have to avoid Russian airspace, extending the flight to 16,000 km, making it the longest passenger route in the world. With a flight time of about 17 hours, it can be used as a reference.
So where is the farthest place from Hong Kong, or its "back side"?
You do now have to dig through the Earth to know. Simply calculating the latitude and longitude coordinates (subtract 180 degrees from the longitude and switch the north and south latitude) can give you the answer.
Hong Kong is located at 22.3°N and Longitude 114.2°E, so the farthest point from Hong Kong is at 22.3°S and 65.8°W; this point is in northern Jujuy Province of Argentina, near Bolivia.
The Farthest country from China: Argentina

As for the farthest place from Beijing, it is in south-eastern Argentina, on the Pampas grasslands, with no major cities nearby.
If using the capital as a reference point, the "back side" of China is Argentina, making Argentina the farthest country from China.
Of course, China is larger in area than Argentina, so there is more than one "back side" country.
For example, the antipodes of Shanghai are in Uruguay, near Salto in the northwest of the country, close to the Argentine border; likewise, the antipodes of Taipei are in Argentina, but the "back side" of the entire island of Taiwan is mainly in Paraguay.
Finally, it should be added that 70% of the Earth's surface is ocean, most of the terrestrial "antipodes" are in the sea.
For example, vast countries like Russia, Canada, and the United States mainly have oceans "behind" them, while China is one of the few countries with a large landmass "behind" it, and many countries are "behind" it as well.
