The Biggest Time Zones in the World: From UTC-12 to UTC+14

The world's time zones span 26 hours from the earliest to the latest. That means there are moments when it is already Wednesday in one part of the world while it is still Tuesday in another — a full day apart plus two extra hours. Here is how the extremes work.

UTC-12: Baker Island and Howland Island

These uninhabited US territories in the central Pacific are the only places on Earth on UTC-12. They are often called the "last time zone on Earth" — the last place where the date changes each day. No one lives there permanently. The islands are managed from Washington DC by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

UTC-11: American Samoa and Niue

American Samoa is the most populous place on UTC-11. It is a US territory with about 50,000 residents. Niue, a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, also uses UTC-11. Both are island nations in the South Pacific.

UTC+12: New Zealand and Fiji

New Zealand is the most prominent country on UTC+12. Fiji also uses this offset. When it is 12:00 noon UTC on Tuesday, it is midnight (00:00) on Wednesday in New Zealand — the first major country to start each new day.

UTC+13: Tonga and Samoa

Tonga and Samoa both use UTC+13. Samoa made headlines in 2011 when it jumped from UTC-13 to UTC+13 — effectively skipping an entire day (Friday, December 30, 2011 never existed in Samoa). The move was made to align Samoa's business hours with Australia and New Zealand rather than the United States.

UTC+14: Line Islands (Kiribati)

The Line Islands of Kiribati are the only place on Earth on UTC+14. This makes them the first place to see each new day. Kiribati created UTC+14 in 1994 by moving the International Date Line eastward around the Line Islands. Before that, Kiribati was split across the date line — the eastern half was a full day behind the western half.

The 26-Hour Span

From UTC-12 to UTC+14 is a 26-hour range. When it is 10:00 AM on Monday in Baker Island (UTC-12), it is 12:00 PM (noon) on Tuesday in Kiritimati (UTC+14). That is a 26-hour difference across the Pacific Ocean.

Want to see the current time at the world's extremes? Check World Time Sync for live clocks from Baker Island to Kiritimati.