Is changing time a general rule in the world? You’ll see that they don’t, and that some large-area countries make it difficult for themselves!
What’s certain is that France and the other countries of the European Union are proceeding with the time change. If, like many people, you’re still wondering “Should I go forwards or backwards?”, then we’ll explain everything.
Why change the time?
Officially, it’s to benefit from more sunshine in spring and summer. In reality, the aim of the time change is to save energy by reducing lighting requirements. This time change(1 hour backward in winter and 1 hour forward in summer) aims to match people’s hours of activity as closely as possible with the hours of sunshine, in order to limit the use of artificial lighting.
Remember that in France and other European Union countries, the two time changes take place on a fixed date:
– Daylight saving time: last Sunday in March
– Daylight saving time: last Sunday in October
This unification decision is a directive of the European Parliament and the Council to facilitate trade, transport and communication between all EU countries.
Time change around the world
The time change is only important in regions where light levels vary greatly. This is why daylight saving time is observed in most European and North American countries – 76 countries worldwide are affected by this change.
Some countries (65 countries) have abolished daylight saving time, such as Russia in 2011. This country with 11 time zones had decided to stay on summer time. With the sun rising at 11 a.m. in winter and residents complaining of long dark mornings, they decided to stay on winter time all year round!
In contrast, most African and Asian countries do not observe a time change.
Even more offbeat in some countries
Time change is not mandatory in the United States, and not all states follow this tradition. It’s mainly the Pacific islands that don’t change the time, for a very simple reason: the constant luminosity over their territory makes the change unnecessary.
Arizona, on the other hand, is the only continental state not to make the switch, with the exception of the Navajo Reservation, home to Monument Valley (which spans 3 continents). On the other hand, the Hopi reservation, located within the Navajo reservation, does not change time. To make sure you don’t get lost, don’t hesitate to ask what time it is there, as it’s easy to get lost with the many time zones and time changes.
The same applies to Brazil, Canada andAustralia, where the time change is not unified across the country. Provinces choose to accept or reject the time setting!
In Cyprus, the half-Greek and half-Turkish island finds itself separated: while the Greek south applies winter time, the Turkish north remains on summer time. This particularity follows Turkey’s decision to stop changing the time.
Why shift an hour?
With the many time zones, when traveling it is often necessary to set your watch to the local time. But even more astonishing, some countries have time zones set to the nearest quarter or half-hour. If you’re going to Nepal, for example, be careful not to move your needles too far forwards or backwards!
If you’re going on a trip, don’t forget to take out international health insurance and, above all, cancellation insurance. Don’t hesitate to ask for your free online quote!
