Time zone

<p>A time zone is an area which observes a uniform <a href="/facts/Standard_time/3dKMYnjM">standard time</a> for <a href="/facts/Legal/luzxWkg0">legal</a>, <a href="/facts/Commerce/SL9xueYJ">commercial</a> and <a href="/facts/Social/twVnad19">social</a> purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between <a href="/facts/Country/hormuwdR">countries</a> and their <a href="/facts/Administrative_division/s8dnhhYm">subdivisions</a> instead of strictly following <a href="/facts/Longitude/HsC61ML9">longitude</a>, because it is convenient for areas in frequent communication to keep the same time.
</p><p>Each time zone is defined by a standard offset from <a href="/facts/Coordinated_Universal_Time/2EnjfSyu">Coordinated Universal Time</a> (UTC). The offsets range from <a href="/facts/UTC%E2%88%9212:00/TqqzhWxl">UTC−12:00</a> to <a href="/facts/UTC%2B14:00/SAPtFsBS">UTC+14:00</a>, and are usually a whole number of hours, but a few zones are offset by an additional 30 or 45 minutes, such as in <a href="/facts/Indian_Standard_Time/K8wy1APK">India</a> and <a href="/facts/Nepal_Time/Jyzx915G">Nepal</a>. Some areas in a time zone may use a different offset for part of the year, typically one hour ahead during <a href="/facts/Spring_(season)/3UWDpVmx">spring</a> and <a href="/facts/Summer/v3DY22Uq">summer</a>, a practice known as <a href="/facts/Daylight_saving_time/bEWvB1Rt">daylight saving time</a> (DST).
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Time zone open-in-new

Time zone