HomeCultureThese Countries Have a Surprising Number of Time Zones

These Countries Have a Surprising Number of Time Zones

What countries have a surprising number of time zones? I’ll admit I often don’t think of the time zones of a given country when reading about world news. However, today’s list takes a look at countries that have far more time zones than you might expect.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

surprising number of time zones
The Democratic Republic of Congo has 2 time zones.

The DRC is a fairly large country in Africa. It starts off our list with 2 time zones, which is honestly surprising.

  • UTC +01:00
  • UTC +02:00

Kiribati

surprising number of time zones
The small nation of Kiribati has 3 time zones.

Kiribati is part of the region known as Oceania. You’ll also find countries like Australia and New Zealand lumped into the region. With 3 time zones, the small country has a surprising number of time zones.

  • UTC +12:00
  • UTC +13:00
  • UTC +14:00

Chile

surprising number of time zones
Despite its size, Chile only has 3 time zones.

Chile is a larger country in South America and has 3 time zones. This gives it a surprising number of time zones, especially considering how many are part of the mainland.

  • UTC -06:00
  • UTC -04:00
  • UTC -03:00

Indonesia

surprising number of time zones
Despite its neighbor in China, Indonesia actually has more time zones.

Indonesia is one of the largest countries in Southeast Asia. With 3 time zones to account for, it has the most in the region.

  • UTC +07:00
  • UTC +08:00
  • UTC +09:00

Mexico

surprising number of time zones
Mexico has the least time zones in North America.

North America has three massive countries on the continent. Mexico has a surprising number of time zones, coming in only at 4. That does account for everything within the country’s borders, however.

  • UTC -08:00
  • UTC -07:00
  • UTC -06:00
  • UTC -05:00

Brazil

surprising number of time zones
The massive country of Brazil has the most time zones in South America.

Brazil is the largest country in all of South America and has a surprising number of time zones to back that up. It has a total of 4, which includes the islands off the Brazillian coast.

  • UTC -05:00
  • UTC -04:00
  • UTC -03:00
  • UTC -02:00

New Zealand

surprising number of time zones
Also located in Oceania, New Zealand has 5 time zones.

New Zealand is similar to its neighbor in Oceania, Australia. While the country only has 5 time zones, that is still quite a surprising number of time zones considering the size of the islands.

  • UTC -11:00
  • UTC -10:00
  • UTC +12:00
  • UTC +12:45
  • UTC +13:00

Denmark

surprising number of time zones
The European nation of Denmark is small, but has 5 time zones.

Denmark also includes places like Greenland, which is considered a Danish holding despite being autonomous.

  • UTC -04:00
  • UTC -03:00
  • UTC -01:00
  • UTC +00:00
  • UTC +01:00

Canada

surprising number of time zones
Surprisingly, Canada has 6 time zones across the mainland and island holdings.

Canada is a big place, and with a surprising 6 time zones it has more than earned a place on this list.

  • UTC -08:00
  • UTC -07:00
  • UTC -06:00
  • UTC -05:00
  • UTC -04:00
  • UTC -03:30

The United Kingdom

surprising number of time zones
It is honestly shocking that the UK doesn’t have more time zones.

The United Kingdom is the least shocking entry for any country with a surprising number of time zones. At 9 in total, I’m honestly more surprised it doesn’t have more time zones across the globe to account for.

  • UTC -08:00
  • UTC -05:00
  • UTC -04:00
  • UTC -03:00
  • UTC -02:00
  • UTC +00:00
  • UTC +01:00
  • UTC +02:00
  • UTC +06:00

Australia

Interestingly, Australia has the UK tied with 9 time zones.

Australia comes in at 9 time zones, which includes the islands surrounding the main continent. This ties it up with the United Kingdom, which has holdings around much of the world still.

  • UTC +05:00
  • UTC +06:30
  • UTC +07:00
  • UTC +08:00
  • UTC +08:45
  • UTC +09:30
  • UTC +10:00
  • UTC +10:30
  • UTC +11:00

The United States of America

Americans can account for 11 time zones in total.

The United States is tied up with Russia at 11. It does have a surprising number of time zones. This does account for more than just the contiguous United States, Hawaii, and Alaska, however.

  • UTC -12:00
  • UTC -11:00
  • UTC -10:00
  • UTC -09:00
  • UTC -08:00
  • UTC -07:00
  • UTC -06:00
  • UTC -05:00
  • UTC -04:00
  • UTC +10:00
  • UTC +12:00

Russia

surprising number of time zones
Tied with the United States, Russia’s 11 time zones only focus on the mainland.

Russia probably isn’t a shock, despite having a surprising number of time zones. All of Russia’s account for the sheer size of the country, with all recorded timezones corresponding to places within Russia’s borders.

  • UTC +02:00
  • UTC +03:00
  • UTC +04:00
  • UTC +05:00
  • UTC +06:00
  • UTC +07:00
  • UTC +08:00
  • UTC +09:00
  • UTC +10:00
  • UTC +11:00
  • UTC +12:00

France

surprising number of time zones
Once the most powerful nation in Europe, France has the most time zones in the world.

France has a total of 13, rounding out the list of countries with a surprising number of time zones. This encompasses various territories held by France, with places like the Crozet Islands, Saint Paul, and New Caledonia beyond just the mainland.

  • UTC -10:00
  • UTC -09:30
  • UTC -09:00
  • UTC -08:00
  • UTC -04:00
  • UTC -03:00
  • UTC +01:00
  • UTC +03:00
  • UTC +04:00
  • UTC +05:00
  • UTC +11:00
  • UTC +12:00
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