How Do Time Zones in Antarctica Work?

Both the north and south poles of the Earth are outside the boundaries of an official time zone, and as such they are considered to be in all time zones. This is because the longitude lines that are used to separate the individual time zones converge at the two poles.

How Does Time Work There?

It’s not really an issue that Antarctica – and the Arctic – do not use standard time zones because no one actually lives there. However, there are research stations spread across the poles, and in order to keep track of time, the scientists staying inside the stations are free to choose their operating time zone. Most of them choose to observe the zone where they actually live when they're not staying at the base.

At either pole, you can technically use any of the standard 24 hour time zones to keep track of time. You can also use the non-standard time zones which are defined as UTC+/- x:30, and UTC +/- x:45.

In addition, because of how Antarctica is situated, Daylight Saving is useless. Most of the area experiences 24 hours of sunlight during the summertime and 24 hours of night during the winter. The same goes for the Arctic, although most of the north pole is nothing but water and sea ice.

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