Kiritimati time zone history
The largest single move came on December 31, 1994, when clocks went forward 24 hours, from UTC−10 to UTC+14. At UTC+14, its standard time is the furthest ahead of UTC of all 312 zones. Mean solar time at Kiritimati is about UTC−10:29, so the clock on UTC+14 runs a calendar day ahead of the sun, plus 29 minutes.
UTC+14
Standard time is UTC+14 all year under the current rules.
Twice a new standard time since 1970
Before 1970
Standard time changes
| Date | Change | New standard time | Clock label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1970 | |||
| January 1, 1901 | Local mean time (UTC−10:29:20) replaced | UTC−10:40 | numeric only |
| Since 1970 | |||
| October 1, 1979 | Standard time forward 40 minutes | UTC−10 | numeric only |
| December 31, 1994 | Standard time forward 24 hours | UTC+14 | numeric only |
Clocks next door since 1970
- Kanton Island (1,680 km): usually 1 hour behind; different on 3,561 days in 1970–1979 and 1994.
- Tokelau (1,983 km): usually 1 hour behind; different on 9,768 days in 1970–1979 and 1994–2011.
- Honolulu (United States) (2,162 km): usually 24 hours behind; different on 9,130 days in 1970–1994.
- Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) (2,316 km): usually 23 hours 30 minutes behind; different on 9,130 days in 1970–1994.
- Tahiti (French Polynesia) (2,319 km): usually 24 hours behind; different on 9,130 days in 1970–1994.
How it compares
The Kiritimati zone has changed its standard time twice since 1970, tied for the most among the 42 zones in Oceania.
Since 1970 it has also used UTC−10:40, an offset that is not a whole number of hours.
On standard time, clocks in Kiritimati run 29 minutes ahead of local mean solar time.