The revision of Kiribati's time zone meant that the date line in effect moved eastwards to go around this country, so that the Line Islands, including the inhabited Kiritimati island, started the year 2000 on its territory before any other country on Earth, a feature the Kiribati government capitalized on as a potential tourist draw. Government offices on opposite sides of the line could only communicate by radio or telephone on the four days of the week when both sides experienced weekdays simultaneously. The distant Phoenix and Line Islands were on the other side of the date line. As a British colony, Kiribati was centred in the Gilbert Islands, just west of the old date line.

Before this, the time zones UTC+13:00 and UTC+14:00 did not exist. The central Pacific Republic of Kiribati introduced a change of date for its eastern half on 31 December 1994, from time zones UTC−11:00 and UTC−10:00 to UTC+13:00 and UTC+14:00. Principal settlement: Kiritimati Oceania UTC+14:00 stretches as far as 30° east of the 180° longitude line and creates a large fold in the International Date Line around the Pacific nation of Kiribati.Īs standard time (year-round) UTC+14:00: blue (December), orange (June), yellow (year-round), light blue (sea areas) It is also referred to as the 'latest time zone' on Earth, as clocks in it always show the 'latest' (i.e., most advanced) time of all time zones. This is the earliest time zone on Earth, meaning that areas in this zone are the first to see a new day, and therefore the first to celebrate a New Year. UTC+14:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +14:00.

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