How politics shapes world time zones

In early January The sun does not rise in Kashgar, in the far west of China, before 10am. On the other side of the border, in eastern Afghanistan, it increases before 7 a.m. This difference is the biggest jump in time through any land border on earth. By degrees of longitude Pékin, more than 3,000 km in the east, should have about two and a half hours ahead of Kashgar. But when the People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949, it abandoned the five previous official time zones and brought its citizens to “Beijing time”.

The basics of a global time zone system were placed during the international conference of the 1884 meridian. But it took several decades to be adopted in the world. Without an international body in charge, countries can choose their own area. There are reasons for common sense and health for them – or their constituent regions – to stay close to solar time. This can be considered a natural time of a place, when the clock appears at noon when the sun is at its zenith. However, for economic and political factors, as residents of Kashgar’s linked eyes testify, they can choose differently.

Not all time zone changes are as extreme as that of China. Other countries can simply change their time to assert their political identity or to add weight to alliances and rivalries. In 2023, a year after having assumed the relevant power of Denmark, Greenland moved its one hour clocks, to ensure greater overlap with the opening hours in Europe. Some distant places depart from the main time zone in the territory. In the northwest, the Pitoffik space base based on American, which previously delayed the rest of the territory, is now two hours late.

Spain continues to use the time of Central Europe where, by geography, it should be an hour earlier. General Francisco Franco, the then dictator of the country, changed the Spanish time zone in 1940 to align with Nazi Germany. The clocks have never been changed. On the other hand, in 2015, North Korea marked the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Korea from the Japanese occupation by going to “Le Temps de Pyongyang”. It was 30 minutes from the time zone that countries had already shared. (Three years later, certainly, he reversed the change, although the justification was that it was a gesture of reconciliation with South Korea.) Even the safeguard of the day can be manipulated to strengthen the opposition. When the Palestinian authority (Pennsylvania) obtained partial control over the West Bank and Gaza in 1993, he adopted a calendar different from the daylight of Israel. And when Hamas resumed Gaza in 2007, he chose to change clocks a different day from the Pennsylvania-Run West Bank.

Most countries need a single time zone. But in the older ones, governments have the choice. Some, like China, impose one to the whole population in the name of unity; In 2024, Kazakhstan transformed its two areas into one to “eliminate temporal barriers” between its people. In this informal time zone, closer to natural solar time, is two hours behind the official “Beijing time”. The local Chinese Han, the dominant national ethnic group, are more likely to join the latter. People who socialize ethnic groups must follow the meetings on time.

In Russia, the preponderance of time zones is a source of pride. In 2009, the president of the time, Dmitry Medvedev, said that the 11 zones of Russia had been considered “a lively symbol of the greatness of our country”. However, he argued, for reasons of efficiency, the number of areas should be reduced. In 2010, Russia fell to nine zones. But the immensity of the earth and the north-north latitude have moved away from particularly unpopular solar time, and demonstrations followed in the Far East. In 2014, Russia returned to 11 zones, although slightly different.

Imposing time offers an easy way to show that is in charge. The parts of Ukraine taken up by Russia since the 2022 invasion were moved to Moscow. Crimea has been in Moscow since Russia occupied the peninsula in 2014. The transition was marked by a ceremony to adjust the clock to Simferopol station. It is a model of events already familiar in the parties occupied by Russia of Georgia.

At a time when each digital transaction and communication is prevented from time, changes in time zones must be transmitted to computers and phones in affected areas. Updates are followed in the “TZ database”, an operation managed by volunteers who monitor government announcements and media reports and is invoked by telephone and computer companies. But changes can still cause technical problems. Apple products users in Russia complained when changes in the relay in the country in the 2010s are not made on all devices. Muscovites ended up putting their phones in Azerbaijani or in Armenian time.

The worst disruptors are governments that make last minute changes to the dates of summer time (Dst). Lebanon’s late decision to delay the start of Dst In 2023, led to chaos. It was intended to help local Muslims observe Ramadan, which is determined by the lunar calendar, they would therefore not have to delay the rupture of their fast. The conformity of state institutions, religious organizations and technological societies varied. Google and Apple have shown different moments.

In Morocco, the changing interaction between Ramadan and Dst Leave the government to change clocks up to four times a year. Now, however, they are definitely ready to DstExcept for Ramadan when they go back to an hour.

Some countries have had enough clock changes or the change in time of natural sun cycles. Mexico went further than Morocco and abandoned Dst Completely in 2022, although a series of cities along the North border prefers to remain synchronized with America. What is simple and natural can replace other concerns. In 2021, a decade after the independence of Sudan, South Sudan moved its clocks back, even if its largest trade partners remain at Eastern Africa time. But as the official announcement described it, you sometimes just want to adjust the time by your “real location on the world”. ■

Correction (March 31, 2025): This article originally indicated that by geography, time in Spain should be an hour later than central European time, rather than before.