Time zones

Posted on | In
| Words count in article 451

UTC

All time zones are defined as offsets from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), ranging from UTC−12:00 to UTC+14:00.

GMT

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is often interchanged or confused with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). But GMT is a time zone and UTC is a time standard. GMT and UTC share the same current time in practice. Neither UTC nor GMT ever change for Daylight Saving Time (DST). However, some of the countries that use GMT switch to different time zones during their DST period. For most purposes, UTC is considered interchangeable with GMT, but GMT is no longer precisely defined by the scientific community. UTC is one of several closely related successors to GMT.

CET and CEST

Central European Time (CET) is a standard time which is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time offset from UTC can be written as UTC+01:00. It is used in most parts of Europe and in a few North African countries. CET is also known as Middle European Time and by colloquial names such as Amsterdam Time, Berlin Time, Brussels Time, Madrid Time, Paris Time, Rome Time, and Warsaw Time.

As of 2011, all member states of the European Union observe summer time (daylight saving time), from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. States within the CET area switch to Central European Summer Time (CEST – UTC+02:00) for the summer.

Time in France

Metropolitan France uses Central European Time (heure d’Europe centrale, UTC+01:00) as its standard time, and observes Central European Summer Time (heure d’été d’Europe centrale, UTC+02:00) from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.

Time in China

China uses 1 official time zone, China Standard Time (CST), which is 8 hours ahead of UTC (UTC +8). In China, the time zone is known as Beijing Time.

Time in United states

  • Eastern Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time (EST, UTC−05:00), Eastern Daylight Time (EDT, UTC−04:00). New York.
  • Central Time Zone: Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−06:00), Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−05:00). Chicago.
  • Mountain Time Zone: Mountain Standard Time (MST, UTC−07:00), Mountain Daylight Time (MDT, UTC−06:00). Salt Lake City.
  • Pacific Time Zone: Pacific Standard Time (PST, UTC−08:00) from early November to mid-March, Pacific Daylight Time (PDT, UTC−07:00) from mid-March to early November. California, Los Angeles.