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Convert latitude and longitude to Universal Transverse Mercator coordinates
The UTM zone is automatically calculated from your longitude. Each zone spans 6° of longitude. The hemisphere (Northern/Southern) is determined by the latitude sign. UTM is valid between 80°S and 84°N; polar regions use UPS (Universal Polar Stereographic) instead.
| Location | Lat/Long | UTM Zone | Easting / Northing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eiffel Tower, Paris | 48.8584°, 2.2945° | 31N | E: 448,252m N: 5,411,955m |
| Statue of Liberty, NYC | 40.6892°, -74.0445° | 18N | E: 580,736m N: 4,504,695m |
| Sydney Opera House | -33.8568°, 151.2153° | 56S | E: 334,901m N: 6,252,289m |
| Mount Fuji, Japan | 35.3606°, 138.7274° | 54N | E: 293,517m N: 3,915,404m |
| Christ the Redeemer | -22.9519°, -43.2105° | 23S | E: 683,477m N: 7,460,687m |
| Burj Khalifa, Dubai | 25.1972°, 55.2744° | 40N | E: 326,132m N: 2,787,899m |
Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) is a coordinate system that provides a consistent framework for identifying locations on Earth using metric measurements rather than angular coordinates. Developed by the U.S. Army in the 1940s, UTM has become the standard for many mapping and GIS applications worldwide.
The UTM system divides the Earth into 60 vertical zones, each spanning 6° of longitude. Zone 1 begins at 180°W and proceeds eastward. Each zone has its own local coordinate system with a central meridian, minimizing distortion within that zone. The zone number is automatically calculated based on longitude: Zone = floor((Longitude + 180) / 6) + 1.
UTM coordinates consist of four components: zone number (1-60), hemisphere letter (N or S), easting (distance east from central meridian plus 500,000m), and northing (distance from equator, or from 10,000,000m south of equator for southern hemisphere). All measurements are in meters, making distance and area calculations straightforward.
The UTM projection is a Transverse Mercator projection, which means it's optimized for north-south oriented regions. Unlike the regular Mercator projection used for world maps, the transverse version rotates the projection 90° to minimize distortion within each zone. This makes UTM particularly accurate for local and regional applications, with distortion increasing toward zone edges.
Limitations: UTM is only defined between 80°S and 84°N latitude. Polar regions use the Universal Polar Stereographic (UPS) system instead. For best accuracy, use UTM coordinates within their designated zone; extending a zone beyond its boundaries increases distortion significantly.
The UTM zone is calculated from longitude using the formula: Zone = floor((Longitude + 180) / 6) + 1. This divides the Earth into 60 zones of 6° each, starting at 180°W. For example, longitude 0° (Prime Meridian) falls in zone 31, and New York (longitude -74°) is in zone 18.
The hemisphere indicator (N or S) tells you whether the location is in the Northern or Southern hemisphere. This is determined by the latitude: positive latitudes are Northern (N), negative latitudes are Southern (S). This affects the northing calculation, with southern hemisphere northings referenced to 10,000,000m south of the equator.
A "false easting" of 500,000 meters is added to all UTM coordinates. This ensures that all easting values within a zone are positive (typically between 160,000m and 840,000m). The central meridian of each zone has an easting of exactly 500,000m. This false origin prevents negative coordinates and makes it easier to identify which side of the central meridian a point is located.
UTM typically uses the WGS84 datum (World Geodetic System 1984), which is the same reference system used by GPS satellites. This ensures compatibility with GPS devices and modern digital mapping systems. However, UTM can be applied to other datums as well, so it's important to know which datum your coordinates reference.
No, UTM is only defined between 80°S and 84°N latitude. Beyond these limits, the Transverse Mercator projection becomes too distorted. For polar regions (beyond these latitudes), the Universal Polar Stereographic (UPS) coordinate system is used instead, which is optimized for high-latitude areas.
This converter uses simplified formulas that provide good accuracy for most applications, typically within a few meters. For professional surveying, legal boundaries, or critical applications requiring centimeter-level accuracy, use specialized GIS software or geodetic libraries like proj4, GDAL, or similar professional tools that implement full geodetic transformations.