What time do you have?

The world is a big place, in fact it’s so big that one side of the planet sees day, while the other side sees night. And since humans are accustomed to sleeping while it’s dark, that means not everyone in the world can operate on the same time. Because of this, the world is split into different time zones. Let’s take a further look in this article on understanding time zones! 

To start off let’s ask ourselves, what is a time zone? Time zones are imaginary lines which run from the North to the South Pole. These imaginary lines are called meridians, and they divide up the Earth into 24 different time zones – one for each hour in the day. One of these meridians is in fact called the Prime Meridian, and it runs through an area in London called Greenwich. This line is special, because it splits the world into what’s known as the eastern and western hemispheres. In addition to that, the time in countries in the eastern hemisphere is always in front of the UK’s time, while time in countries in the western hemisphere is always behind the UK’s time.  

Another key thing to keep in mind is that the Earth rotates on its axis – and that’s important to know because it means the Sun only shines on the side of the Earth that it’s facing. All of this means that its daytime in the part of the world that is facing the sun, while it’s night-time on the other side of the planet. Because of that, different places in the world need to have different times.  

Does that mean that all 24 time zones are split equally? Interestingly enough, they aren’t divided equally. Time zones are usually divided based on the boundaries between countries, because it’s more convenient for areas that constantly communicate with each other to keep to the same time. That means that most smaller countries would keep to the same time zone – even if a part of it falls outside a meridian line. And at the same time, some of the bigger countries like the US and Russia spread out across multiple time zones. In fact, did you know that Russia spans across 11 time zones? Understanding time zones really puts into perspective just how big some countries can be! 

The world is no doubt a very big place, and there’s so much to learn about and explore! That’s why it’s great to keep reading about our planet, and the wonderful things it possesses. Make sure to keep encouraging your child to delve into everything the world has to offer, and we hope you enjoyed this article on understanding time zones! 

ActiKid – Nourishing the next generation.    

This article contains general information regarding health and well-being. This information is not intended as advice and should not be treated as such. You must not rely on the information on this website as an alternative to advice from medical or educational professionals.