China & India: The Single Time-Zone Kings - The Globalist (2024)

FAQs

What is the largest country with only one time zone? ›

China, with a total area of 9.38 million square kilometres (3.62 million square miles) according to the World Bank, is the largest country to observe just one time zone: Beijing (or China) Standard Time.

This convergence was facilitated by hyper-globalization, whereby trade liberalization and large declines in transport and communication costs swiftly increased opportunities for the developing world. China and India benefited enormously, leading to the largest reductions in poverty the world has ever seen.

Although there are practical and economic advantages to a single time zone, the impetus for standardisation was more about a signal the Chinese Communist Party wanted to send when it came to power in 1949.

China's economic model has focused on gearing its manufacturing industries toward exports for the rest of the world. India has also become increasingly integrated with the rest of the world, though under its model, domestic demand and services have played a more important role.

Who is the farthest ahead in the time zones? The most advanced time zone in the world is UTC+14:00, in the Line Islands of Kiribati. Hawaii is UTC-10:00, so whatever time it is in Hawaii, it's the same time in Eastern Kiribati, but on the following day.

The country that is furthest behind in time is American Samoa, an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is located in the Pacific Ocean and is part of the U.S. territory of Samoa. American Samoa observes the time zone known as "UTC-11," which is 11 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

Considering the total surface area of both countries including land and water, the United States takes up 9.8 million square kilometers while China has 9.6 million square kilometers, according to World Atlas.

Though China is almost as wide as the continental United States, the whole country is officially in just one time zone — Beijing time. So when it's 7 a.m. in the Forbidden City, it's also officially 7 a.m. 2,000 miles to the west in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang region — even if the stars are still out there.

From 1912 until 1949, China did have 5 time zones: Kunlun (UTC+05:30), Sinkiang-Tibet (UTC+06:00), Kansu-Szechwan (UTC+07:00), Chungyuan (UTC+08:00), and Changpai (UTC+08:30). In 1949, Communist Party Chairman, Mao Zedong, decided that all of China was to use Beijing Time.

According to the forecast by Fathom Consulting, Asian economies such as China and India are expected to lead the global economy with the highest GDP share. The report forecasts China to have a share of 22.68% and reach $101 trillion by 2100.

Who is India's best friend? ›

India's closest ally has traditionally been the United States. With each passing year, the bond between India and the USA has grown stronger. They both supported the principles of respecting human rights, treating all citizens equally, and applying the law fairly.

Some countries, such as China and India, use a single time zone even though the extent of their territory far exceeds the ideal 15° of longitude for one hour; other countries, such as Spain and Argentina, use standard hour-based offsets, but not necessarily those that would be determined by their geographical location.

The Federated States of Micronesia is a single nation comprising more than 600 islands covering an area estimated by the World Bank to be 700 square kilometres (270 square miles). The country is divided into two time zones (UTC+10 and UTC+11), making it the smallest country by area to adopt more than one time zone.