# The Naming of Time Zones **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003 "2015-11-19T18:55:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/21 "2015-11-20T02:26:36Z")
:smack: Believe it or not, I even double-checked that. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/22 "2015-11-20T02:32:10Z")
> [@D18](#): > > For the sake of completeness,-3.5 would be St. John’s, NL. > [@UDS](#): > > And for the sake of _complete_ completeness there is a GMT + 9.5 timezone, and the largest city in it is Adelaide, South Australia. For the sake of completely complete completeness, there are a [number of other time zones offset by a half hour, and even a few offset by 45 minutes](http://www.timeanddate.com/time/time-zones-interesting.html): Nepal, Chatham Islands (New Zealand), and the town of Eucla, South Australia: ACWST, Australian Central West Standard Time. (Eucla is a great distance from almost anyplace else). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/23 "2015-11-20T02:41:08Z")
I was aware of the half-hour time zones. But I only included a couple because I didn’t want somebody wondering why I ignored major cities like Tehran and Mumbai. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/24 "2015-11-20T03:09:51Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > For the sake of completely complete completeness, there are a [number of other time zones offset by a half hour, and even a few offset by 45 minutes](http://www.timeanddate.com/time/time-zones-interesting.html): Nepal, Chatham Islands (New Zealand), and the town of Eucla, South Australia: ACWST, Australian Central West Standard Time. (Eucla is a great distance from almost anyplace else). I didn’t think Eucla’s time zone was official. The town is so tiny they can follow whatever time they like I guess. When I used to fly border patrol aircraft and had regular dealings with the military we used military time zones with Zulu = UTC, Alpha = UTC+1, and Bravo = UTC+2 etc. Juliet and another we’re skipped for reasons I can’t remember. Half hour time zones were expressed as the letter each side of the zone, Adelaide would be “India Kilo” for example. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/25 "2015-11-20T04:23:42Z")
Let’s not forget there are time zones earlier than +12: +13 Nuku’alofa, Tonga +14 Kiritimati, Kiribati ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/26 "2015-11-20T04:39:56Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > I didn’t think Eucla’s time zone was official. The town is so tiny they can follow whatever time they like I guess. True, [it’s unofficial.](http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/australias-weird-little-time-zone/) But it includes more than just Eucla, running for about 340 km from Cocklebiddy to Border Village. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/27 "2015-11-20T07:24:43Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Let’s not forget there are time zones earlier than +12: > > +13 Nuku’alofa, Tonga > +14 Kiritimati, Kiribati You mean later? ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/28 "2015-11-20T08:17:08Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > You mean later? Earlier. Kiritimati gets to noon on any given day 14 hours before Greenwich does. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/29 "2015-11-20T09:46:00Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > Earlier. Kiritimati gets to noon on any given day 14 hours before Greenwich does. :smack: Yep, of course. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2015, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/30 "2015-11-21T01:59:17Z")
Thanks, **Little Nemo** , for putting in the work to comply that list. I did find a few refinements, though: > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > -11: Sand Island, Midway? American Samoa uses UTC-11, and the largest town there is [Tafuna.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tafuna,_American_Samoa) > [@Little Nemo](#): > > +4: Yerevan, Armenia Dubai, UAE is about twice as large. > [@Little Nemo](#): > > +6: Almaty, Kazakhstan Dhaka, Bangladesh is friggin’ huge (over 14 million.) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/31 "2016-01-16T02:15:31Z")
And let’s not forget Kathmandu at GMT + 5:45 hours. Plus Yangon or Rangoon at GMT + 6:30 hours. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/32 "2016-01-16T14:38:39Z")
Not sure if they still do, but for years the indigenous villagers of Oaxaca state, Mexico, to show their rebelliousness, refused to acknowledge Daylight Savings Time. Luckily, for American tourists, this all works out: the indigenous villages tend to be in the mountains, while the cities are in the central valleys. So, in the summer, Oaxaca’s central valleys happen to be on US “Central Time” (along with most of Mexico), while the indigenous mountains happen to be on US “Mountain Time.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/33 "2016-01-16T16:04:07Z")
I once heard of a town in Canada that didn’t go on daylight saving time, and thereby managed to always be on the same time as their nearest neighbors, with the catch that their “nearest neighbors” change from summer to winter. Apparently there’s a road from the town that’s only usable in summer, and an ice road in the opposite direction that’s only usable in winter. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/34 "2016-01-17T01:44:01Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > And let’s not forget Kathmandu at GMT + 5:45 hours. > > Plus Yangon or Rangoon at GMT + 6:30 hours. Back in Post #7 **Colibri** explained that “Panama time” trails about an hour or so after the local clock. IOW, that’s about how late the locals saunter into a meeting. Since you’ve come to the meeting about 2 months late I guess “Bankok time” is even more leisurely than that. Musta been one hell of a lunch! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2016, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003/35 "2016-01-17T01:49:28Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Back in Post #7 **Colibri** explained that “Panama time” trails about an hour or so after the local clock. IOW, that’s about how late the locals saunter into a meeting. > > Since you’ve come to the meeting about 2 months late I guess “Bankok time” is even more leisurely than that. Musta been one hell of a lunch! 😃 That’s called “Thai time.” really. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-naming-of-time-zones/738003.md?page=1)