Is changing time a general rule in the world? You’ll see that they don’t, and that some large-area countries make it very difficult for themselves!
What’s certain is that France and the 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 it all to you.
Why change the time?
Officially, it’s to benefit from more sunshine during spring and summer. In reality, the aim of the time change is to save energy by reducing the need for lighting. In fact, this time change(1 hour backwards in winter and 1 hour forwards in summer) aims to match the hours of activity of the population 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:
– Summer time: last Sunday in March
– Winter 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 significant in regions where light levels vary greatly. This is why daylight saving time is observed in the majority of European and North American countries – 76 countries worldwide are affected by this change.
Some countries (65 countries affected) have abolished daylight saving time, like Russia in 2011. This country, crossed by 11 time zones , decided to stay on summer time. The sun was rising at 11 a.m. in winter, and the locals were complaining about the long dark mornings, so they decided to stay on daylight saving time all year round!
In contrast, most African and Asian countries do not observe a time change.
Even more offbeat in some countries
Since time change is not compulsory in the United States, not all states follow this tradition. The Pacific islands in particular don’t change their clocks, for one simple reason: the constant luminosity on their territory makes the change unnecessary.
Arizona, on the other hand, is the only continental state not to change its clocks, with the exception of the Navajo reservation, home to Monument Valley (which spans 3 continents). However, the Hopi reservation, located within the Navajo reservation, does not change time. To avoid getting lost, don’t hesitate to ask what time it is there, as it’s easy to get lost with the numerous time shifts and changes.
The same applies to Brazil, Canada andAustralia, where the time change is not unified throughout the territory. The provinces choose whether or not to accept the time adjustment!
In Cyprus, the half-Greek and half-Turkish island is separated: while the Greek south applies winter time, the Turkish north remains on summer time. This peculiarity follows Turkey’s decision to stop changing the time.
Why shift an hour?
With so many time zones, when traveling it’s often necessary to set your watch to the local time. But even more surprisingly, 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 hands too far back or forward!
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!
