TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The countries with the most time zones spread out from the European region, like France, to the borders of Australia, factored by multiple fascinating reasons. As the Earth takes approximately 365 days to complete a single orbit around the sun, some parts of the world experience different capacities of light than the others. This phenomenon results in what is known globally as time zones.
Countries with the Most Time Zones
Based on the reports of WorldAtlas and WorldPopulation, France, Russia, and the United States are some of the countries with the most time zones. Other nations include:
1. France - 13 time zones
France is recognized as the country with the most time zones, acquiring 13 different ones within their territories. Despite being a fairly small-sized nation compared to the massive country of Russia, France’s dominion spans across a vast and wide European land, leaving some islands to welcome the new year very late. Among the 244 thousand square miles, France’s time zones move from UTC-12 and further.
2. United States - 11 time zones
As one big nation, the USA governs multiple states under its colony, and some even stretch to archipelagos outside the mainland—think about Baker Island, Howland Island, Hawaii, Guam, and Puerto Rico. These inhabited lands each have their respective time zones, which, interestingly, also differ from the mainland’s four time zones.
3. Russia - 11 time zones
Tied with the USA, Russia is one of the countries with the most time zones due to its colossal size that covers 6.6 million square miles. Historically, the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire once occupied large regions, including the US state of Alaska, which also had a high probability of having more different time zones. However, the country is only acknowledged for its 11 time zones under their territorial acquisitions.
4. Australia - 9 time zones
Much like the previous contenders, Australia has a handful of islands under its territory, including Heard and Macdonald Islands, Christmas Island, and Norfolk Island. All these regions each have their own time zone, which also differs from the mainland of Australia. That’s why it has become possible for the country to occupy the fourth place.
5. The United Kingdom - 9 time zones
In the distant past, the British Empire acquired colonies of 413 million people across the world, with some of them spanning as far as South Africa. Over the course of decades, the United Kingdom now only has around 94 thousand square miles. Even so, the UK is still included among the countries with the most time zones, notably because the Pitcairn Islands, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and Gibraltar all operate in different time zones.
6. Canada - 6 time zones
A former British territory, Canada, navigates through a fairly confusing arrangement due to the diverse time zones. While the nation’s western posts in Yukon, British Columbia, and Tungsten schedule their time around UTC-08:00, the east one like Quebec can sit at UTC-5:00 simultaneously.
7. New Zealand - 5 time zones
New Zealand’s time zones are nothing short of fascinating. While the main regions, like the Cook Islands and Chatham Islands, span three distinct time zones, things get even more intriguing with Niue and Tokelau. These two far-flung islands are separated by a mind-blowing 24-hour time difference, essentially living a full day apart.
8. Denmark - 5 time zones
Despite its comparatively small size compared to Norway and Sweden, Denmark uses five time zones, thanks to Greenland's pivotal role within the timing arrangements regionally. As the main part of Denmark sits at UTC+01:00, some other regions can recline even further to UTC-03:00. During summer and winter, the country consistently faces extreme levels of sunlight adjustments.
9. Mexico - 4 time zones
Spanning more than 1.9 million square kilometers, Mexico stretches across four time zones, each adding a unique twist to daily life. Most of the country runs on UTC-06:00, but head to the sun-soaked state of Quintana Roo, and you'll find clocks set to UTC-05:00. Meanwhile, a few pockets in Chihuahua operates on UTC-07:00, creating a patchwork of time that reflects Mexico’s vast and varied geography.
10. Brazil - 4 time zones
Brazil rounds out the list of the countries with the most time zones across UTC-02:00, UTC-03:00, UTC-04:00, and UTC-05:00. This arrangement may especially bring immediate effects for travelers planning day and evening trips around.
As global connectivity deepens, understanding how time operates across countries with the most time zones adds yet another fascinating layer to how we experience our planet. And, to those interested in similar topics, check out also the list of first countries to celebrate the new year.
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