The international time change

Is it a generality in the world to change time? You will see that no and that some big-box countries are making it difficult!
What is certain is that countries of the European Union will make the time change. If, like many people, you always ask yourself, “I have to move forward or backward?”, then we explain everything to you.

Why change the time?

Officially, it’s to enjoy more sunshine during spring and summer. In reality, the purpose of this time change is to save energy by reducing lighting requirements. Indeed, this change of time(we go back 1 hour in winter and we advance by 1 hour in summer)aims to match the hours of activity of the population with the hours of sunshine in order to limit the use of artificial lighting.

Keep in mind that in the countries of the European Union, the two time changes are made on a fixed date:

Summer Time: the last Sunday in March
Winter time: the last Sunday in October

This unification decision is a directive from the European Parliament and the Council to facilitate trade, transport and communication between all EU countries.

Time change in the world

The time change only matters in regions where the brightness varies greatly. For this reason, the shift to daylight saving time is observed in the majority of countries in Europe and North America – 76 countries in the world are affected by this change.
Some countries (65 countries concerned) have abolished daylight saving time, such as Russia in 2011. This country crossed by 11 time zones had decided to stay in daylight saving time. The sun was rising at 11am in the winter and the locals were complaining about the dark mornings, so they decided to stay all year round at winter time!
On the other hand, most countries in Africa and Asia do not see a change of time.

Even more staggered in some countries

The change of time is not an obligation in the United States,not all states submit to this tradition. It is mainly the Pacific islands that do not change time, for a very simple reason, the constant brightness on their territory makes the change unnecessary.
Arizona, on the other hand, is the only continental state not to make the change, with the exception of the Navajo Reserve, where the Monument Valley (which spans 3 continents) is located. But the Hopi reserve, located within the Navajo reserve, does not change the time. Not to get lost, do not hesitate to ask the time there, we could quickly get lost with the many shifts and time change.
The same goes for Brazil, Canada andAustralia, where the time change is not unified on the territory. The provinces choose to accept or refuse the time setting!
In Cyprus,the half-Greek and Turkish island is separated: while the Greek south applies winter time, the Turkish north remains on daylight saving time. This is a follow-up to Turkey’s decision not to change the time.

Why shift an hour?

With the many time zones, when travelling, it is often necessary to set your watch at the time of the country. But even more surprising, some countries have time zones set to the nearest quarter of an hour or half an hour. If you are going to Nepal, for example, be careful not to push your needles too far or backwards!

If you are travelling, don’t forget to take out your international health insurance and especially your cancellation insurance. Don’t hesitate to ask for your free quote online!