Point Nemo is a spot in the South Pacific Ocean at about 48°52.6′S, 123°23.6′W, and it’s the place in the ocean farthest from any land on Earth.

Quick Scoop: Where Is Point Nemo?

  • It lies in the South Pacific Ocean , roughly halfway between:
    • The Chatham Islands off New Zealand, and
    • The coast of southern Chile in South America.
  • Its coordinates are 48°52.6′ South, 123°23.6′ West.
  • It is about 2,688 km (1,670 miles) from the nearest bits of land:
    • Ducie Island (Pitcairn Islands) to the north
    • Motu Nui near Easter Island to the northeast
    • Maher Island off Antarctica to the south.

Why Point Nemo Matters

  • It’s called the oceanic pole of inaccessibility : the most remote point on the ocean’s surface, completely surrounded by open water.
  • The name “Point Nemo” is from Captain Nemo , the mysterious submarine captain in Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
  • The area sits in the South Pacific Gyre , a huge rotating current system that is isolated and nutrient-poor, so marine life there is unusually sparse.

Spacecraft “Graveyard”

  • Because it’s so far from people and land, the region around Point Nemo is used as a spacecraft cemetery , where agencies deorbit old satellites and stations (including the Mir space station) to crash safely into the ocean.

Mini FAQ

  • Is there land at Point Nemo?
    No—just open ocean, with seafloor about 4,000 meters below the surface.
  • Can you visit it?
    Yes, in principle—only by ship—but there’s nothing there except water, waves, and extreme remoteness.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.