Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Several countries use offsets that sit far from their solar time, and some use half-hour steps. The figure is taken from Royal Museums Greenwich, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a world geography fact?

Yes. It sits on the World Geography shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Time zones follow politics more than the Sun

Several countries use offsets that sit far from their solar time, and some use half-hour steps A zone ideally spans 15 degrees of longitude, but boundaries bend around trade partners and internal regions. India and Sri Lanka use offsets of five and a half hours, and Nepal uses five and three quarters. China spans five geographic zones but keeps a single official time. It sits in Mondo's world geography collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Royal Museums Greenwich

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: time-zones, politics, clocks

Time zones follow politics more than the Sun: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Several countries use offsets that sit far from their solar time, and some use half-hour steps. The figure is taken from Royal Museums Greenwich, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a world geography fact?: Yes. It sits on the World Geography shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.