Qibla direction in Coquimbo

How to face the Qibla in Coquimbo

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards east and move a further 9.7° towards north: the result is the bearing of 80.3°. A small error of a few degrees is forgiven by most scholars, but aiming simply at east would leave you about 10° off.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Coquimbo, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Coquimbo to Mecca points to 64.4° (north-east), a full 15.9° away from the true Qibla of 80.3° (east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 51 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Coquimbo first heads east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 80.3° is the direction in which the shortest route from 29.9533° S, 71.3395° W sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Coquimbo to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 13,151 km from Coquimbo as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 13,261 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 15 h 58 min, although most pilgrims from Coquimbo connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Coquimbo run 6 hours behind Mecca in winter and 7 hours behind Mecca in summer, because of daylight saving time. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Coquimbo rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Coquimbo

On 213 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Coquimbo while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in January (31 days); for example, on 1 January 2027 it happens at 12:01 local time.

On 126 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 18:08.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Coquimbo (05:18 and 05:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 18:29 and 28 November 2027 at 18:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Coquimbo points straight to Mecca.

Coquimbo compared with other cities

Compared with Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile, 395 km away, the Qibla in Coquimbo is turned 1.5° further anticlockwise (80.3° against 81.8°), and Mecca is 4 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Copiapó (304 km), prays towards 78.6°, a difference of 1.7°.

Across the 24 cities in Chile on this site, the Qibla ranges from 74.3° in Arica to 92.9° in Punta Arenas, a spread of 18.6°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Chile.

Qibla in cities near Coquimbo

• Copiapó78.6° · 304 km
• Viña del Mar82.0° · 342 km
• Colina81.7° · 367 km
• Lampa81.8° · 373 km
• Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, Chile81.8° · 395 km
• Puente Alto81.9° · 413 km