Which Country Has the Most Time Zones?

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A time zone is a region or area that observes the same standard time.  

The world is divided longitudinally into time zones, with each hour difference roughly 15 degrees apart.

Due to some countries having half hour time zones, there are more than 24 times zones in the world.  

Most countries, especially the smaller ones, have only one time zone.  There are 23 countries with at least two time zones.

Since all lines of longitude coverage at the North and South Poles, Antarctica and the Arctic technically have all time zones.

Map of Antarctica by NASA.
The lines of longitude converge at the North and South Poles which means that technically, all time zones occur at the North and South Poles. Map of Antarctica, NASA, public domain.

The Starting Point of Time Zones

The starting point at which  Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) starts is the Prime Meridian (zero degrees longitude).  

The Prime Meridian divides the world into the eastern and western hemispheres. Image: NASA, public domain.
The Prime Meridian divides the world into the eastern and western hemispheres. Image: NASA, public domain.

International Date Line

The International Date Line (IDL), located at or near 180 degrees longitude delineates one day from the next; time incrementally advances as one travels west of the IDL.

The black line on this map shows the International Date Line. Map: CIA, public domain.
The black line on this map shows the International Date Line. Map: CIA, public domain.

The International Date Line deviates from 180 degrees longitude in order to keep islands and other landmasses in the same time zones as the country of jurisdiction.

For example, the International Date Line passed between the Commander Islands (part of Russia) and Attu Island (part of the United States).

Map showing the location of the International Date Line around the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific Ocean. Map: Equal Earth, public domain.
Map showing the location of the International Date Line around the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific Ocean. Map: Equal Earth, public domain.

France Has the Most Time Zones

The country with the most time zones is France, mostly due to its various territories around the world.  These time zones are:

  • UTC−10:00 — most of French Polynesia
  • UTC−09:30 — Marquesas Islands
  • UTC−09:00 — Gambier Islands
  • UTC−08:00 — Clipperton Island
  • UTC−04:00 (AST) — Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin
  • UTC−03:00 (PMST) — French Guiana, Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • UTC+01:00 (CET) — Metropolitan France
  • UTC+03:00 — Mayotte
  • UTC+04:00 — Réunion
  • UTC+05:00 — Kerguelen Islands, Crozet Islands
  • UTC+11:00 — New Caledonia
  • UTC+12:00 — Wallis and Futuna
A view of Strasbourg from the Cathedral.
A view of Strasbourg from the Cathedral. Strasbourg is the ninth largest city in France and is the home of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, and Eurocorps. Photo: CIA, public domain.

Countries With the Second Most Amount of Time Zones

The United States and Russia are tied for second place with eleven time zones each.

The United States has the following time zones:

  • UTC−12:00 (unofficial) — Baker Island and Howland Island
  • UTC−11:00 (ST) — American Samoa, Jarvis Island, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll and Palmyra Atoll
  • UTC−10:00 (HAT) — Hawaii, most of the Aleutian Islands, and Johnston Atoll
  • UTC−09:00 (AKT) — most of the state of Alaska
  • UTC−08:00 (PT) — the states on the Pacific coast plus Nevada and parts of Idaho
  • UTC−07:00 (MT) — Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, parts of Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, Oregon, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas
  • UTC−06:00 (CT) — Gulf Coast, Tennessee Valley, U.S. Interior Highlands, Great Plains, and most of Texas
  • UTC−05:00 (ET) — the states on the Atlantic coast, the eastern two-thirds of the Ohio Valley, most of Michigan, Bajo Nuevo Bank, Navassa Island and Serranilla Bank
  • UTC−04:00 (AT) — Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Palmer Station
  • UTC+10:00 (ChT) — Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands
  • UTC+12:00 (unofficial) — Wake Island, McMurdo Station, and Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station
Map showing the main US time zones.
Map showing the main US time zones. Via time.gov

Russia has the following time zones:

  • UTC+02:00 (Kaliningrad Time) — Kaliningrad Oblast
  • UTC+03:00 (Moscow Time) — Most of European Russia and all railroads throughout Russia
  • UTC+04:00 (Samara Time) — Samara Oblast, Udmurtia
  • UTC+05:00 (Yekaterinburg Time) — Bashkortostan, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Khanty–Mansia, Kurgan Oblast, Orenburg Oblast, Perm Krai, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Tyumen Oblast, and Yamalia
  • UTC+06:00 (Omsk Time) — Altai Krai, Altai Republic, Kemerovo Oblast, Novosibirsk Oblast, Omsk Oblast and Tomsk Oblast
  • UTC+07:00 (Krasnoyarsk Time) — Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai and Tuva
  • UTC+08:00 (Irkutsk Time) — Buryatia, Zabaykalsky Krai and Irkutsk Oblast
  • UTC+09:00 (Yakutsk Time) — Amur Oblast and western Sakha Republic
  • UTC+10:00 (Vladivostok Time) — The Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Khabarovsk Krai, Magadan Oblast, Primorsky Krai, central Sakha Republic and Sakhalin Island
  • UTC+11:00 (Srednekolymsk Time) — eastern Sakha and Kuril Islands
  • UTC+12:00 (Kamchatka Time) — Chukotka and Kamchatka Krai

Time Zones in Antarctica

Theoretically, all time zones converge in Antarctica. Antarctica is a continent with no part-time residents but has several research stations located on it.

In practice, the time zone used by a research station is usually based on territorial claims or logistics. For example, McMurdo Station and Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station use New Zealand time to align with the supply base in Christchurch.

Map of Time Zones in the World

Map showing the standard time zones for the entire world. PDF with a higher resolution. Map: CIA, 2018, public domain.
Map showing the standard time zones for the entire world. PDF with a higher resolution. Map: CIA, 2018, public domain.

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