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Background Information On Times Zones Geography Worksheet With Answer Key - Arizona Geographic Alliance

Background Information on Times Zones

A day is the time it takes the Earth to spin around once on its axis. An hour is one

twenty-fourth a day, so the Earth is divided into 24 standard time zones, each covering

approximately 15 degrees of longitude. The time of day depends on where you are on the

Earth. Hours are numbered from the Prime Meridian, or 0 degrees longitude, which

passes through Greenwich, England. Time zones east of the Greenwich zone are ahead of

Greenwich time. This is because the Earth spins toward the east, so that lands in the east

get the sun earlier than Greenwich does. Time zones west of Greenwich are behind

Greenwich time. They get the sun later than Greenwich. The boundaries of the time zones

usually follow straight lines over the oceans. Every fifteenth degree of longitude marks a

different time zone. On the continents, time zone boundaries usually zigzag. Some

countries are so large that they cover more than one time zone. Russia stretches across 11

time zones. From the state of Maine to the state of Hawaii, the United States spreads

across 7 time zones.

To determine what time it is in another time zone, you must add or subtract,

depending on whether you are going east or west. First, determine the time for the time

zone in which you live. Next, find the time zone you want and count how many time

zones away it is from yours. Now, determine if the new time zone is east or west of

where you live. If it is east, add one hour for each time zone away it is from your time. If

it is west, subtract one hour for each time zone away it is from your time. For example, if

it is 8 A.M. where you are and you go 3 time zones east, you add 3 to 8 and get 11 A.M.

in the new time zone. If it is west, it would be 8 subtract 3 for a time of 5 A.M. Using this

simple formula will enable you to always know what time it is.

Background Information On Times Zones Geography Worksheet With Answer Key - Arizona Geographic Alliance