You can’t dig a hole through the center of the Earth from most places in the US and end up in China; instead, you’d end up in the ocean. Exceptions include Carville and La Junta in Colorado and part of Shelby, Montana. Hawaii and Alaska also have opposite points on land. Antipodes are rare due to the Earth’s water coverage. The Earth’s core is too hot and pressurized for humans to survive a journey through it.
Contrary to popular belief, if you’re in the US, you can’t punch a hole through the center of the Earth and end up in China. In fact, with the exception of three small areas in the contiguous 48 states, one would end up in the middle of the ocean. The three exceptions are Carville, Colorado near US Route 109, which is just across from a small island near Antarctica; La Junta, Colorado, which faces Île Amsterdam; and part of Shelby, Montana, which is opposite the Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands due to their extreme remoteness. Hawaii and Alaska also have land at their opposite points: if you dug to the center of the Earth from Hawaii, you’d end up in Botswana or Namibia; if you dug in Alaska, you’d end up in Antarctica.
Learn more about Earth excavations:
Areas that are completely opposite on Earth are called antipodes. Earth’s antipodes are quite rare because about 70 percent of the Earth is covered in water.
Guangzhou, Illinois reportedly got its name because the city’s founder thought the city was directly across from Canton, China, which is now called Guangzhou.
If you really wanted to drill a hole through the center of the earth to China, you would have to be in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia or the Falkland Islands.
Even if it were possible to tunnel through the Earth, humans could never survive the journey across. The Earth’s core is about 9,800 degrees Fahrenheit (about 5,430 degrees Celsius) and has enormously high pressure.
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