Elevation Finder — What Is My Elevation?

Find your current elevation above sea level in one click. Tap Detect My Location, search any address, or click anywhere on the world map. Reports altitude in meters and feet, atmospheric pressure, oxygen percentage, and a comparable landmark for scale. Free, worldwide, no sign-up.

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Click anywhere on the map, search a place, paste coordinates, or use Detect My Location to find the elevation above sea level for any point on Earth.

Definition

What is my elevation?

Your elevation is the height of your current location above mean sea level, measured in meters or feet. Tap "Detect My Location" — the tool reads your GPS, fetches the elevation from a global digital elevation model, and shows the answer in seconds.

Accuracy

How accurate is the elevation?

Elevation comes from the Open-Meteo Elevation API, which is built on the Copernicus DEM (~90 m horizontal resolution) and SRTM data. Vertical accuracy is typically ±5–10 m worldwide, ±2 m in well-mapped areas. Phone GPS altitude is much less reliable — barometric DEM lookups are the standard.

Coverage

Does it work worldwide?

Yes. The map and the elevation API cover the entire Earth — every continent, every island, including ocean depths (negative values where applicable). Reverse geocoding for the place name is best in well-mapped countries.

Cost

Is the tool free?

Yes — no sign-up, no API key, no usage limits. Equivalent commercial APIs (Google Elevation, MapBox Tilequery) charge per request after a free tier. This tool runs on the free Open-Meteo public service.

On this page

What is elevation?
How to find your elevation
Famous landmark elevations
How altitude affects you
Use cases
Methodology & data sources
How this compares to alternatives
Limitations & accuracy notes
Glossary
Frequently asked questions

What is elevation, and what is my elevation right now?

Elevationis the height of a point on Earth's surface above (or below) mean sea level — the average height of the ocean. It is usually measured in meters (the international standard) or feet (common in the US and aviation). Sea level is the universal zero, so a city on the coast has an elevation near 0 m, the top of Mt Everest is +8,849 m, and the floor of Death Valley is –86 m.

What is my elevation right now?Tap the "Detect My Location" button at the top of the tool. Your phone or browser shares its GPS coordinates with the tool, which then queries a worldwide elevation database (Copernicus DEM via Open-Meteo) and returns your current altitude in 1–2 seconds. No sign-up, no app install, no waiting on a satellite altitude reading.

People look up elevation for all kinds of reasons: planning hikes, training for altitude events, dealing with altitude sickness, monitoring barometric pressure for cooking and scientific work, picking property at a flood-safe altitude, researching real estate, doing school geography projects, and just plain curiosity. Whatever your reason, this tool answers the question in one click.

How to find your elevation

Find your elevation in one click

Tap "Detect My Location" to use GPS — your current elevation appears instantly with the answer to "what is my elevation right now". Or click anywhere on the world map to drop a marker, search an address or landmark, or paste coordinates ("39.7392, -104.9903") and press Enter.

Read the elevation in meters and feet

The hero card shows your altitude as a single big number in meters and feet, plus whether you are above, at, or below sea level. The terrain category (lowland, hill, mountain, alpine) gives quick context.

Use the comparison cards

Below the hero you get the atmospheric pressure at that altitude, the effective oxygen percentage relative to sea level, and a comparable landmark for scale (e.g. "around the height of the Eiffel Tower"). Open the location in Google Maps or OpenStreetMap with one click.

Famous elevations for reference

A reference table of well-known places. Useful as a sanity check and for getting a feel for what different elevations mean.

Place	Meters	Feet	Category
Mt Everest summit, Nepal/Tibet	8,849 m	29,032 ft	Extreme altitude
Mt Whitney, California	4,421 m	14,505 ft	Alpine
Pikes Peak, Colorado	4,302 m	14,115 ft	Alpine
La Paz, Bolivia (city)	3,640 m	11,942 ft	High mountain
Lhasa, Tibet (city)	3,656 m	11,995 ft	High mountain
Aspen, Colorado	2,438 m	8,000 ft	High mountain
Denver, Colorado (Mile-High City)	1,609 m	5,280 ft	Highland
Mexico City, Mexico	2,240 m	7,349 ft	High mountain
Madrid, Spain	667 m	2,188 ft	Rolling hills
Paris, France	35 m	115 ft	Coastal / sea level
New York, NY	10 m	33 ft	Coastal / sea level
Amsterdam, Netherlands	–2 m	–7 ft	Below sea level
Death Valley, California	–86 m	–282 ft	Below sea level
Dead Sea shore	–430 m	–1,411 ft	Below sea level

How altitude affects the human body

The higher you go, the thinner the air gets. Atmospheric pressure drops by about 12% per 1,000 m of elevation gain, which means each breath delivers proportionally less oxygen. Air is still 21% oxygen by composition at any altitude — there's just less air per cubic meter.

Elevation range	Effective O₂ vs sea level	Typical effects
0 – 1,500 m (0 – 5,000 ft)	83 – 100%	No physiological effect
1,500 – 2,500 m (5,000 – 8,200 ft)	74 – 83%	Slight breathlessness on exertion
2,500 – 3,500 m (8,200 – 11,500 ft)	65 – 74%	Acute mountain sickness possible
3,500 – 5,500 m (11,500 – 18,000 ft)	50 – 65%	Acclimatization required
5,500 – 8,000 m (18,000 – 26,000 ft)	36 – 50%	Severe hypoxia, no permanent residence
> 8,000 m	< 36%	Death zone — supplemental O₂ required

This is also why food cooks differently at altitude (water boils at lower temperatures), why airplane cabins are pressurized (typical cabin = ~2,400 m), and why endurance athletes train high. The result panel in the tool shows the effective oxygen percentage and atmospheric pressure for whichever location you're looking at.

Who uses elevation lookups

1. Hikers, climbers, and outdoor planners

Trail planners look up trailhead and summit elevations to estimate vertical gain and difficulty. Hikers check the elevation of a campsite to plan layers and hydration. Climbers use it for altitude acclimatization scheduling.

EXAMPLE

Trailhead: 2,400 m. Summit: 4,200 m. Gain: 1,800 m — a serious day hike with real altitude exposure. The pressure cards show effective oxygen dropping from 75% to 62% over the ascent.

2. Real estate and property research

Buyers in coastal or low-lying areas check elevation to understand flood risk, insurance rates, and long-term sea-level exposure. Mountain property buyers use it for snow-line estimates and access concerns.

3. Aviation and drone planning

Drone pilots check ground elevation to set safe flight altitudes (FAA rules are relative to launch elevation). Pilots check airport elevations and terrain along flight routes.

4. Cooking and baking at altitude

Bakers and cooks adjust recipes for altitude — water boils lower, leavening rises faster, sugar concentrates faster. The atmospheric pressure card gives the exact number you need for technical adjustments.

5. Sports and athletic training

Endurance athletes plan altitude camps, time-trial venues, and recovery zones using elevation data. Coaches reference altitude for training stress calculations and pacing.

6. Scientific fieldwork

Biologists, ecologists, climatologists, and geologists log elevation as a standard field for any sample or observation. Many ecological zones are elevation-defined (alpine, montane, subalpine).

7. Engineering and construction

Civil engineers reference elevation for grading, drainage, and equipment specifications. Telecom installers check tower elevations for line-of-sight calculations.

8. Education and curiosity

Teachers, students, and trivia fans use elevation lookups to learn world geography. The comparison-to-landmark card is a fun way to internalize the scale of mountains, valleys, and cities.

Methodology & data sources

Elevation data

Elevation values come from the Open-Meteo Elevation API, a free public service that wraps the Copernicus GLO-90 Digital Elevation Model — a global 90 m grid built from European Space Agency TanDEM-X satellite radar. Vertical accuracy is typically ±4 m worldwide and ±2 m in well-mapped regions.

Map and basemap

The interactive world map is rendered with MapLibre GL JS using vector tiles from OpenFreeMap, based on OpenStreetMap data. No API key, no rate limits.

Address autocomplete & reverse geocoding

Address suggestions in the search box come from Photon, and the place name shown for each result comes from Nominatim — both built on OpenStreetMap.

Atmospheric pressure formula

Pressure at altitude is computed with the standard barometric formula for the ISA (International Standard Atmosphere) troposphere:

P(h) = P₀ · (1 − L·h / T₀)^(g·M / R·L)

P₀ = 101.325 kPa  (sea-level pressure)
L  = 0.0065 K/m   (temperature lapse rate)
T₀ = 288.15 K     (sea-level temperature)
g  = 9.80665 m/s² (gravity)
M  = 0.0289644 kg/mol (molar mass of air)
R  = 8.31432 J/mol·K  (universal gas constant)
exponent ≈ 5.255

The "effective oxygen percentage" is the partial pressure of oxygen at altitude divided by the partial pressure at sea level — equivalent to the ratio of total pressures, since air composition is constant.

How this compares to alternatives

Elevation lookups are offered by several APIs and apps. Here's an honest side-by-side.

Source	Free?	Visual	Bulk	Sign-up	Notes
SimpleMapLab (this tool)	Yes	Map + comparisons	Click any point, instant	No	Open-Meteo (Copernicus DEM ~90 m)
Google Maps	Yes (limited)	Map	Right-click → no elevation	No	Doesn't show elevation in standard UI
Google Elevation API	Free tier	API only	Paid per request	API key	For programmatic use, $5 per 1K calls
USGS Elevation Point Query	Yes	API / form	Single-point web form	No	US-only, 1 m to 10 m DEM
Phone barometer / GPS altitude	Yes	On-device	Per-device	No	±10–50 m, drifts with weather

Limitations & accuracy notes

DEM resolution is ~90 m. The Copernicus GLO-90 DEM has a 90 m horizontal grid. For sub-90 m features (a building rooftop, a steep slope edge), the reported elevation may be averaged across the cell. For US-only sub-meter accuracy, use the USGS 3DEP product.
Vertical accuracy is ±4 m typical. Most points are within ±4 m of true elevation, but heavily forested areas, glaciers, and sand dunes can have errors of ±10–20 m.
Online-only. The map tiles, GPS lookup, address search, and elevation API all require an internet connection.
GPS altitude is ignored.The tool uses GPS only for the horizontal position, then looks up elevation in a DEM — because phone GPS vertical accuracy is poor (±10–50 m). This is intentional and gives a more reliable answer than the device's own altitude reading.
No bathymetry. Elevation over the ocean is reported as 0 m (the surface), not the depth below. For ocean depth, use a dedicated marine chart or the GEBCO grid.
Pressure formula is theoretical. The barometric formula assumes the International Standard Atmosphere. Actual pressure at altitude varies with weather by ±5%.
Not for legal or surveying use. For property surveys, flood-zone determinations, or engineering plans, use authoritative sources: USGS 3DEP in the US, national survey agencies elsewhere.

Glossary

Elevation: The height of a point on Earth's surface above (or below) a fixed reference, usually mean sea level. Measured in meters or feet.
Altitude: Often used interchangeably with elevation, but technically refers to height above ground (e.g. an aircraft's altitude) or above a specific reference. Aviation distinguishes "altitude" (above sea level) from "AGL" (above ground level).
Mean sea level (MSL): The average height of the ocean's surface, used as the standard zero point for elevation worldwide. Specific national datums may differ slightly.
Digital Elevation Model (DEM): A raster grid that stores the elevation of every point on Earth at a fixed resolution. Common DEMs: Copernicus (30 m / 90 m), SRTM (30 m / 90 m), ASTER GDEM (30 m), USGS 3DEP (1 m / 10 m, US only).
Geoid: The actual shape of mean sea level, distorted by Earth's gravity field. The geoid differs from a perfect ellipsoid by ±100 m worldwide. Modern elevation products are referenced to the geoid (orthometric heights).
Ellipsoid: A mathematical model of Earth's shape used as a reference for GPS coordinates. WGS84 is the most common. Heights above the ellipsoid (HAE) differ from heights above the geoid by 10–80 m depending on location.
Vertical datum: A reference surface for measuring elevation. Common datums: NAVD88 (North America), EVRF2000 (Europe), MSL. This tool reports orthometric heights tied to mean sea level.
Atmospheric pressure: The weight of the column of air above a point. At sea level, standard pressure is 101.325 kPa (1013.25 hPa, 29.92 inHg). It drops by about 12% per 1,000 m of elevation gain.

Related tools and resources

To find latitude and longitude for any location, use the Latitude & Longitude Finder. To measure between two points, use Distance Between Two Places. For radius circles around a point, use the Map Radius Tool. To find the time zone at any point, use the Time Zone Finder. Browsing the US by state? Each state has a county directory:

California Texas Florida New York Pennsylvania Illinois Ohio Georgia North Carolina Michigan New Jersey Virginia Washington Arizona Massachusetts Colorado

Frequently asked questions

Tap the "Detect My Location" button. The tool reads your GPS, sends the coordinates to a worldwide elevation API, and shows your altitude above sea level in meters and feet within 1–2 seconds. No sign-up required.

Your phone or browser uses GPS to determine your latitude/longitude. The tool then queries the Open-Meteo Elevation API, which looks up the elevation for that point in a global Digital Elevation Model (Copernicus DEM, ~90 m grid). The whole process takes about 1 second.

No — phone GPS altitude is unreliable, often off by 10–50 m. The horizontal GPS fix is much more accurate than vertical. This tool ignores the GPS-reported altitude and instead looks up your horizontal position in a high-quality DEM, which gives a much better elevation estimate (±5–10 m worldwide).

It's your altitude above mean sea level — the height of the ground at the point you select. This tool reports it in both meters and feet. Click "Detect My Location" or click the map at any point to find it.

The underlying Copernicus DEM has ~90 m horizontal resolution and ±4 m typical vertical accuracy worldwide. In well-surveyed regions (US, Europe, Japan) accuracy is closer to ±2 m. In remote or heavily forested areas it can be ±10–20 m.

From the Open-Meteo Elevation API, which serves elevation values from the Copernicus GLO-90 DEM (a global 90 m product based on TanDEM-X satellite radar) blended with SRTM data. It's the same source used by many free mapping and weather apps.

Yes — anywhere below mean sea level. Death Valley (California) is –86 m, the Dead Sea is –430 m, and parts of Amsterdam are about –2 m. The tool reports these as negative numbers and labels them "below sea level".

Often used interchangeably. Strictly: "elevation" is the height of the ground above sea level, while "altitude" is more general — an aircraft's altitude can be measured above ground (AGL) or above sea level (MSL). For static points like a mountain or a city, both words mean the same thing.

The average height of the ocean's surface, used as the universal zero for elevation. National datums may shift this slightly (NAVD88 in North America, EVRF2000 in Europe) but the differences are usually under 1 m for our purposes.

Yes — type the city name or address in the search box and pick from the dropdown. The map flies to that location and the elevation appears in the result panel. Works for cities, landmarks, businesses, and street addresses worldwide.

Denver is famously the "Mile-High City" because its official elevation is exactly 1 mile (1,609 m / 5,280 ft) above sea level — the 13th step of the State Capitol building marks the precise spot. That puts it in the "Highland" terrain category in our tool.

Pressure drops by about 12% per 1,000 m of elevation gain. At sea level it's 101.3 kPa; at 1,000 m it's ~89 kPa; at 3,000 m it's ~70 kPa; at 5,500 m (Everest Base Camp) it's ~50 kPa — half of sea-level pressure. The tool computes this with the standard barometric formula.

Air is always 21% oxygen, but at altitude the air is thinner so each breath delivers less oxygen. The effective oxygen percentage tells you how much oxygen your lungs receive compared to sea level. At 3,000 m it's about 70%; at 5,500 m about 50%; at Everest summit about 33%.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) can begin around 2,500 m (8,200 ft) for some people, especially with rapid ascent. Above 3,500 m, acclimatization becomes important. Above 5,500 m, no human can permanently acclimate. Above 8,000 m is the "death zone".

Google Maps uses its own elevation source (often SRTM 30 m or proprietary). Differences of 1–10 m are normal due to different DEMs, different vertical datums, and rounding. For most practical purposes any reputable source will agree to within a few meters.

Yes — for trip planning, route research, and altitude awareness. For real-time navigation during a hike, use a dedicated GPS device or hiking app with offline maps and barometric altitude.

Yes. The elevation over an ocean is 0 m (the surface). The tool does not return ocean depth — for bathymetry, use a dedicated marine chart or the GEBCO grid.

Yes — the map, search, GPS button, and result cards all work on phones and tablets. The "Detect My Location" button is the easiest way to find your own elevation from a phone.

The Copernicus DEM (and SRTM) are static products — they don't change with weather. The Copernicus DEM was acquired between 2010 and 2015 and updated in 2019. For most points on Earth, terrain hasn't changed meaningfully in that time.

The Copernicus DEM is free for any use under the Copernicus license, including commercial. Open-Meteo provides the API free for non-commercial use; commercial use requires an inexpensive license. Attribution to SimpleMapLab is appreciated where reasonable.

Data sources & methodology

Elevation data from the Open-Meteo Elevation API, based on the Copernicus GLO-90 Digital Elevation Model (~90 m horizontal resolution, ±4 m vertical accuracy). Map rendering by MapLibre GL JS with OpenFreeMap tiles. Address autocomplete by Photon and reverse geocoding by Nominatim. Atmospheric pressure computed with the standard ISA barometric formula.