A man is born in a specific time and place in the world, and every landmark event carries its own set of coordinates.

For some, those numbers and letters are more precious than any token of commemoration, and thus worthy of permanent ink.

A coordinate tattoo can mark anything from one’s birthplace to ancestral region, as well as significant places of travel or personal milestones. Weddings, reunions, or spiritual awakenings-everything holds a geographic coordinate. Close friends, couples, and siblings have been known to get matching coordinate tattoos, as well as parents wishing to mark a joyous new arrival and addition to their family

(For example, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt opted to tattoo the coordinates of their children’s birthplaces.) Your coordinate tattoo is your story, your history; just as the body is a testament of one’s journey, a coordinate tattoo acts as a poignant mile marker.

Sometimes the most striking tattoos are the most understated, and are likewise easily missed by those without an eye for detail. Because life is truly made up of those significant details, those numbers and letters that record how far we’ve come from where we started out.

1. Forearm Coordinate Tattoos

2. Bicep Coordinate Tattoos

3. Arm Coordinate Tattoos

4. Chest Coordinate Tattoos

5. Leg Coordinate Tattoos

6. Sleeve Coordinate Tattoos

7. Side Coordinate Tattoos

8. Ankle Coordinate Tattoos

9. Shoulder Coordinate Tattoos

10. Back Coordinate Tattoos

11. Thigh Coordinate Tattoos

12. Wrist Coordinate Tattoos