Tag: daylight savings

Worldwide schedule for DST (Daylight saving time)

The clocks went back 1 hour in the UK today (midnight, 26th of October 2008).

In the US, day light saving time (or time change) ends this fall, on the 2nd of November this year (2008). Day light saving time changes every year and depends mostly on earth’s rotation.

If you have questions regarding your local time, just do the following:
Go to Google.com and search for “Time YourCity”. For example, to check out the present time in London, click here.

What is daylight saving time?

In layman’s words, because winters have shorter days and longer nights (especially in Europe and America), in order to have maximum day light when you’re awake, the clocks are moved back an hour. Because of this time change, you start work at 8, when normally you’d have started at 9, and finisish at 5 when normally you’d finish by 6. This lets you spend more time awake when the sun’s out. Daylight savings time was created to let afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less daylight.  In the start of spring, clocks are adjusted 1 hour ahead (obviously because the summer has longer days) and adjusted 1 hour back just after autumn. Intelligent time change!

Which countries use DST? (daylight saving time)

DST was proposed by William Willett, an english architect/builder to make best use of sunshine. Many countries have tried using the DST (daylight saving time) but at present most countries, except ones in the American continents and Europe, don’t use day light savings.

The world over, countries that do use DST move their clocks by a maximum of 1 hour forward or backward. List of countries that use the Daylight Saving time:

1. All countries in Europe except Iceland. Iceland has moved its clock backward 1 hour permanently, so you can say that the country is in permanent DST (and I guess it has to, considering it is one of the coldest countries with very scarce sunshine.

2. USA (United States of America) – This year in fall, 2008, the daylight saving time begins on the 2nd of November 2008 when all states move their clocks back an hour. Well, if you use Windows XP, Vista, IPhone or any other new phone, you phone or computer or laptop should do that for you automatically. If you do, however rely on a wrist watch, better tune into the radio once a day 😉 For exact details for each state and city in the United States, please go to: Wikipedia

3. Australia – Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia will observe it on the last Sunday of October 2008, whereas Tasmania has started on the first Sunday of October 2008.

4. New Zealand – Last Sunday of September each year, daylight saving time begins in New Zealand and end on April’s first Sunday.

5. Canada – Most Canadian states conform to the US DST rules. (pretty obvious to me)

6. Greenland

7. Mexico