Question 27 from UPSC CSE 2025 - Geography

Question

Consider the following countries:
I. United Kingdom
II. Denmark
III. New Zealand
IV. Australia
V. Brazil
How many of the above countries have more than four time zones?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: C. Only three

Strategy: - Identify the criterion: countries with more than four time zones, including overseas territories.
- Evaluate each listed country, starting with those known for widespread territories (Australia, UK).
- Specifically check Denmark's time zones, including Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
- Confirm that New Zealand and Brazil have fewer than four time zones.
- Select the countries that meet the criterion.

Key Info: **United Kingdom:** While mainland UK uses a single time zone (Greenwich Mean Time/British Summer Time), it has several overseas territories scattered globally (e.g., Bermuda in the Atlantic, Ascension and Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, Pitcairn Islands in the Pacific, British Indian Ocean Territory, and Falkland Islands near South America). Collectively, these territories give the UK at least nine time zones.

**Denmark:** Denmark proper observes Central European Time. However, the Kingdom includes Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Greenland itself has three time zones (from UTC-4 in Ittoqqortoormiit to UTC-1 in Danmarkshavn), and the Faroe Islands are in UTC+0. Thus, the Danish realm has more than four time zones in total.

**New Zealand:** The main islands use New Zealand Standard Time (UTC+12), while the Chatham Islands have their own distinct time zone (UTC+12:45). Tokelau, a New Zealand dependency, operates on UTC+13. Altogether, New Zealand and its dependencies span three time zones.

**Australia:** Australia's mainland is divided into three primary time zones—Australian Western (UTC+8), Central (UTC+9:30), and Eastern (UTC+10)—and with daylight saving, the effective number increases. Including external territories (Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island, etc.), Australia spans six standard time zones, and considering dependencies can reach up to nine.

**Brazil:** The country officially observes four time zones: Acre Time (UTC-5), Amazon Time (UTC-4), Brasília Time (UTC-3), and Fernando de Noronha Time (UTC-2). All are within the national borders; Brazil does not control dependencies in additional time zones.

Time zone counts for major nations can be significantly affected by their non-contiguous overseas or dependencies. While the United States, France, and Russia rank highest globally by sheer time zone count, this question specifically targets the given list.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: All five

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: Only four

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: Only two

Consider the following countries: I. United Kingdom II. Denmark III. New Zealand IV. Australia V. Brazil How many of the above countries have more than four time zones?

Consider the following countries:
I. United Kingdom
II. Denmark
III. New Zealand
IV. Australia
V. Brazil
How many of the above countries have more than four time zones?