At a glance
- Papeete, the capital: 295°, west-north-west, 18,940 km from the Kaaba.
- Faaa, the largest city: 295°, west-north-west, 18,938 km from the Kaaba.
- Closest to Makkah: Faaa, 18,938 km. Farthest: Punaauia, 18,941 km.
- Around Papeete, a magnetic compass points about 13° east of true north (World Magnetic Model 2025, for 2026). On a needle compass, the Qibla there is about 282°.
Qibla from every city in French Polynesia
The largest cities, biggest first.
| City | Qibla | Direction | Distance to the Kaaba (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faaa | 295° | west-north-west | 18,938 |
| Papeete | 295° | west-north-west | 18,940 |
| Punaauia | 295° | west-north-west | 18,941 |
Not on the list? Search any town or use your location on the live compass.
Reading these numbers
Each bearing is measured clockwise from true north along the shortest path over the globe, a great circle, which is how the Qibla is worked out. A flat map can mislead, because the Earth is round.
Phone compasses work best after calibrating with a figure-8, away from metal and magnetic cases. Our guide to finding the Qibla also covers the sun, the local mosque and praying when unsure.
Qibla in other countries
Australia Fiji New Caledonia New Zealand Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Timor-Leste
City data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Magnetic declination: the World Magnetic Model 2025 (NOAA and the British Geological Survey).