Why time zones are not straight?

As Earth rotates on its axis, it moves about 15 degrees every 60 minutes. After 24 hours, it has completed a full rotation of 360 degrees. The scientists used this information to divide the planet into 24 sections or time zones. Each time zone is 15 degrees of longitude wide.

Why timezone line is not straight?

The Earth takes twenty-four hours to rotate through 360 degree. Hence two places that are 15 degree of longitude apart have a difference of one hour, in time. As the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. This adds up to a difference of 24 hours or one day between east and west of 180 degree line of longitude.

Why do time zones not always exactly follow lines of longitude?

Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it is convenient for areas in frequent communication to keep the same time.

Which country time zone is first?

Kiribati – pronounced Kiribas – is the only nation on Earth to permanently trespass into GMT+14: the earliest time zone in the world.

Who invented time zones?

In 1878, Sir Sandford Fleming (1827–1915) developed the system of worldwide time zones that we still use today. He proposed that the world be divided into 24 time zones, each spaced 15º (fifteen degrees) of longitude apart (like 24 sections of an orange).

The Problem with Time

Why is Afghanistan time zone 30 minutes?

Aghanistan Time or AFT has a UTC offset of + 4:30. This means that the time zone is 4 and a half hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. The time zone is primarily observed by Afghanistan (Asia). Afghanistan Time is what is referred to as a non-standard half-hour time zone.

Why does France have 12 time zones?

France: France has 12 time zones ranging from UTC-10 to UTC+12. This unusual span is due to France's scattered national territories. The areas in French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean are mainly responsible for this.

Which country has the weirdest time zone?

Time Zone In Newfoundland

Newfoundland in Canada uses Newfoundland Standard Time (NST) which has an offset of UTC - 3:30. During Daylight Saving, the area switches to an offset of UTC - 2:30.

Why do time zones not follow meridians?

"Time zones tend to follow the boundaries of countries and their subdivisions because it is convenient for areas in close commercial or other communication to keep the same time."

What country starts the new day?

The small Pacific island nations of Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati are the first countries to welcome New Year, where January 1 begins at 10 am GMT or 3:30 pm IST on December 31.

Why the International Date Line does not follow the 180 meridian?

The International Date Line passes through the Pacific ocean where there are no landmasses. It follows 180° meridian for most of its distance. The dateline is zig-zag in some places to avoid the confusion of time on the same island. It avoids some islands and deviates from 180°.

Why is Nepal 45 minutes off?

Nepal is 5 hours and 45 minutes ahead of GMT, because it sets the meridian of Nepal Standard Time at Gaurishankar, a mountain east of Kathmandu. The odd time difference between Nepal and India has resulted in a national joke that Nepalis are always 15 minutes late (or, Indians are 15 minutes early).

Why is India's time 30 minutes off?

When the meridians for the Indian subcontinent were created, New Delhi was in between the two. Naturally, India decided to be 30 minutes between the two time zones, which is why the country is only 30 minutes ahead of nearby Pakistan, for example.

Why does China use one time zone?

But in 1949, as the Communist Party consolidated control of the country, Chairman Mao Zedong decreed that all of China would henceforth be on Beijing time for the purposes of national unity.

Why can't Russia have one time zone?

Russia has 11 time zones across its vast territory — and its leaders believe that's just too many hours in the day. Russia has 11 time zones across its vast territory — and its leaders believe that's just too many hours in the day.

Why does India have a single time zone?

Though British India did not officially adopt the standard time zones until 1905, when the meridian passing east of Allahabad at 82.5° E longitude was picked as the central meridian for India, corresponding to a single time zone for the country (UTC+05:30).

How many time zones does Pakistan have?

Pakistan uses one time zone, which is Pakistan Standard Time (PKT). This is UTC+05:00 — that is, five hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time.

Why are Australia's time zones weird?

In its colonial days South Australia was on a central time zone - an hour behind the east - until 1899. Under pressure from the chamber of commerce to adopt eastern standard time (EST), the government of the day came up with a compromise that put clocks 30 minutes behind those on Australia's eastern seaboard.

Which country is 1 hour behind India?

Afghanistan and Iran are the two countries which are one hour behind Indian standard time. IST was established after independence for the whole country by the government of India.

What is the biggest time difference in the world?

You can see that the most extreme time zones are +14 hours at Line Islands (Kiribati), and -12 hours in and around Baker Islands (US). Therefore, the maximum possible difference between times on Earth is 26 hours. That means that at 11:00 PM of a Monday in Baker Island, it is 1:00 AM of a Wednesday in Line Islands.

Is there a place 24 hours ahead?

The nation of Samoa also observed the same time as the Samoa Time Zone until it moved across the International Date Line at the end of 29 December 2011; it is now 24 hours (25 hours in southern hemisphere summer) ahead of American Samoa.

Why do timezones exist?

Imagine if the entire Earth had a single time zone. Noon would be the middle of the day in some places, but it would be morning, evening, and the middle of the night in others. Since different parts of Earth enter and exit daylight at different times, we need different time zones.

What does UTC stand for?

Prior to 1972, this time was called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) but is now referred to as Coordinated Universal Time or Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). It is a coordinated time scale, maintained by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). It is also known as "Z time" or "Zulu Time".

Are there any 15 minute time zones?

Nepal is centered just a slight bit to the east, resulting in that extra 15 minutes. The only other time zones with a deviance on three quarters of an hour are New Zealand's Chatham Islands, and the tiny Central Western Time Zone of Western Australia.