# Time Zones of the World



## Paddington (Mar 30, 2006)

In America, the Eastern Standard Time zone stretches very far to the West, because some states like Michigan and Indiana (which should have been CST) want to be in the same time zone as New York for business reasons. Oddly enough, the time zone just to the west, Central Standard Time, also stretches far to the west, because many states want to be in the same time zone as Chicago.

But that's less of a distortion than some stuff you see overseas. For example, half of Western Europe (France, Spain, Benelux) really should be in the GMT time zone, but instead their on GMT +1. Maybe they want to stay on the same time zone as the rest of Western Europe (sans UK and Portugal), but then again the U.S. works just fine with multiple time zones and it's all one country. 

Or consider China's one time zone, even though it really should have at least 3. I wonder if work hours there in the Western part of the country are 2 hours behind the East, in order to take advantage of sunlight. :nuts: 

What I really hate though, is that you can never set cell phones or digital watches that claim to have "world time" to Indian time, because it's at a half hour interval. :lol: 










Bigger Pic

:cheers:


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## Marek.kvackaj (Jun 24, 2006)

Russia has really mess with Time zones...


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Nepal's time zone gets me...if you think a half-hour interval is funny, how about a 15 minute one.

Right now, it's 7:14PM here in Hartford, which is in the NA eastern zone, it's 4:59AM in Kathmandu. :lol:


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## Intoxication (Jul 24, 2005)

Pakistan is one of the few countries properly following the time zones. I agree with Paddington. It does piss me off when countries dont follow time zones properly!


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## null (Dec 11, 2002)

China has 5 timezones,but ONLY one(GMT+8） is OFFICAIL


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## schmidt (Dec 5, 2002)

IMO there are way too many in Brazil. We're majorly a North-South country, we shouldn't have the GMT-5 and GMT-2 time zones. In GMT-5 only about 500,000 people live, and in GMT-2 there aren't even 20,000 people, too much for too little.

Anyway, about 70% of the population lives in the main one, GMT-3. And about RESPECTING time zones, yeah, it's pretty OK here. Our neighbours get a bit weird, like Venezuela (GMT-4:30) and Argentina, which should be -4.


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## paw25694 (Nov 21, 2006)

Indonesia has 3 time zones. WIB (GMT +7), WITA (GMT +8), and WIT (GMT +9)


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## Arpels (Aug 9, 2004)

we have two time zones :yes: but they are not enough far to celebrate the end of the year in both places


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## wcgokul (Dec 27, 2005)

india has only one time zone...... IST( GMT+5.30)


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## opium (Apr 10, 2006)

Russia has 11 time zones .


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## gabrielbabb (Aug 11, 2006)

mexico has 3 time zones


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## Imperfect Ending (Apr 7, 2003)

Are timezones political? I never understood the distribution of timezones. And why is Asia split all differently


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## eomer (Nov 15, 2003)

The most interesting take place in Pacific Ocean: Fidji, Tonga and Samoa are very closed and share the same time...but Fidji and Tonga are UTC+12 when Samoa is UTC-12: Samoa is one day later than it's closest neighbours !
It possible to take a plane on Sunday morning in Apia (Samoa), to be in Suwa (Fidji) for lunch time on Monday and to go back to Apia during sunday afternoon: who said that it is not possible to go shopping on sundays ?

Note: international standard use UTC. GMT is not alowed any longer.


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## Intoxication (Jul 24, 2005)

^^ UTC?? Whats that?


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## WonderlandPark (Sep 9, 2007)

Time zones should be eliminated. Just go by UTG or GMT. Your work hours may seem strange to others, but everyone would be on the same clock. In London you would go to work at 08:00, in Moscow at 13:00, Tokyo 17:00, Los Angeles 00:00, New York 03:00. Whatever time you were on, it would be normal to you. Here in California, my schedule would revolve around waking up at 23:00 and then starting my day, in Tokyo, wake up at 16:00 and get your day started. It is just a number. It would be easy that way. 

"What time is in our London office" would have no meaning, you would just have to know whether it was normal business hours or not. 

Time zones are so artificial and random. Time to get rid of them.


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

eomer said:


> Note: international standard use UTC. GMT is not alowed any longer.


Funny though that GMT is still the name used by the general population. UTC of cause is based on GMT but using the atomic clock. 

I do find it a tad humourous that a Frenchman pointed this out as GMT was never liked by the French. During the International Meridian Conference in 1884 the French wanted the world to use their own Meridian that passed through Paris, but the world would have nothing to do with it and chose the British one that passes through London. It took the French 17 years before they accepted defeat and began to follow GMT.

When UTC was announced, the French wanted it named temps universel coordonné (TUC) whilst it was to be called coordinated universal time (CUT) by everyone else. In an example of compromise, it was called UTC.

I believe it may still irk a few Frenchmen that most people in the world still call it GMT and it still passes through Greenwich (jk)


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

WonderlandPark said:


> Time zones should be eliminated. Just go by UTG or GMT. Your work hours may seem strange to others, but everyone would be on the same clock. In London you would go to work at 08:00, in Moscow at 13:00, Tokyo 17:00, Los Angeles 00:00, New York 03:00. Whatever time you were on, it would be normal to you. Here in California, my schedule would revolve around waking up at 23:00 and then starting my day, in Tokyo, wake up at 16:00 and get your day started. It is just a number. It would be easy that way.
> 
> *"What time is in our London office" would have no meaning, you would just have to know whether it was normal business hours or not. *
> 
> Time zones are so artificial and random. Time to get rid of them.


:lol: The highlighted area in bold is why your suggestion has no merit. It would be no easier to know what is normal business hours everywhere in the world. How would this honestly make it easier?


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## nomarandlee (Sep 24, 2005)

Wonderlandpark your idea is much more time involved and complicated if implemented then the standard that is in place right now is. It would take constant visual and geographic learning and calculation that would annoy the hell out of most in the world.


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