About this random coordinate generator
Random coordinates are used for testing maps and location apps, seeding sample data, planning geocaching or random-walk adventures, and teaching geography. Picking latitude and longitude as plain random numbers bunches points near the poles, because lines of longitude converge there. This generator corrects for that: inside any box it picks latitude uniformly in its sine, and around a center point it picks evenly over the circle on the sphere, so points are spread fairly by area. You can keep points a minimum distance apart, choose the decimal precision, and enter a seed to get the same points again. Note that points can fall in the sea, since about 71% of Earth is water.
How to generate random coordinates
- Choose the area. Pick anywhere, a region, a bounding box, or a center point with a radius in kilometers, miles, or meters.
- Set the options. Choose how many points, the precision, an optional minimum spacing, and a seed if you need repeatable results.
- Press Generate coordinates. Copy the list, open any point on a map, or export CSV or JSON.
Frequently asked questions
Why are the points not bunched near the poles?
Latitude is picked so that each band gets points in proportion to its area. Plain random latitudes would put far too many points in the small polar regions.
Can a point land in the ocean?
Yes. About 71% of the planet is water, so most worldwide points fall at sea. Use a region or a radius around a city for points on land more often.
How many decimal places do I need?
Five decimals locate a point to about a meter, enough for any GPS use. Six is the common default; more only adds precision that GPS cannot measure.
What does the seed do?
The same seed and settings always give the same points, which is useful for tests or for sharing a set of locations. Leave it empty for fresh, secure randomness.
What do positive and negative values mean?
Positive latitude is north of the equator and negative is south. Positive longitude is east of Greenwich and negative is west, as the N, S, E, and W in the DMS column show.