Time zones can be confusing things. But this map, which looks like it could be a piece of modern art, strips them back to their essence: this is how the world looks if the only thing you can see is the time zone boundaries.


Created by Branden Rishel it’s largely a bit of fun—but it’s also a distinctive reminder that different countries take rather different views to implementing the zones. In Australia, for instance, the lines are drawn straight down the country, while China runs on a single time despite actually spanning five zones. (Incidentally, that doesn’t work too well: during parts of the year, some regions see sunset at midnight or sunrise at 10am.)


[Cartographers Without Borders via Flowing Data]

