The time zone map below shows the six time zones of the United States, and a series of clocks show the actual time in the different time zones. The time difference between Bangkok, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is one hour, although the two capitals are on almost the same longitude. The state used two time zones until 1983, when it placed the capital, Juneau, in the same time zone as the more populous Anchorage and Fairbanks.Ĭhina spans four time zones but uses only one. For example, most of Alaska uses Alaska Time, which spans three standard time zones. Today's use of time zones tends to follow more often the boundaries of countries and their subdivisions instead of the standard parallels because it is convenient in close economic or political areas to keep the same time. This means that people in each geographic region within a time zone use the same time.Īll these zones are defined by an offset from the Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC see below) by a number of hours (UTC−12 to UTC+14) centered on the prime meridian (0° since 1884 the Greenwich meridian ).

Normally, a uniform standard time is maintained in each section to track the day and night cycle. Standard time zones are 15 degrees of longitude wide.Ī time zone is ideally one of 24 spherical lunes (a section on the globe in a north/south direction) with equal-width (15 degrees), each assigned with one of the 24 hours (makes together one day and one rotation of the Earth). Standard US Time-Zones (click map to enlarge)Ī time zone is defined as an area where a uniform standard time applies for legal, economic and social purposes.

Time zones map texas