World Time Zones

Here are the time zones of the world. All places in one time zone have the same time, except when a region has "Daylight Saving Time" when the local time is advanced by one hour. On this map there's no adjustment for Daylight Saving Time.

(Note: the clock uses the time on your device as its reference)

Why Different Times?

Because when the Sun is high in the sky in one part of the world, it is night-time in another place.

So for "Midday" to be close to the middle of the day, the world has to be divided into different time zones.

Why does the Sun Rise and Set at Different Times?

We have a special page that explains this here: Earth's Orbit and Daylight.

The Math of Time Zones

The Earth is a sphere, which means it has 360 degrees (360°) all the way around.

It takes 24 hours for the Earth to make one full spin.

Divide the spin by the hours:

360° ÷ 24 hours = 15° per hour

So, each standard time zone is about 15° wide!