How to Determine the Time Difference Between Time Zones
The current time zone system has been in operation since 1884. Time zones are separated into 24 standard meridians of longitude which are lines running from the North Pole to the south, at right angles to the Equator. The time zones are 15 degrees apart, with the starting point prime meridian centered in Greenwich, England. The meridians are the centers of 24 standard time zones. The requirement for a standard time was encouraged in the United States and Canada, where several railway routes passed through locations that differed in local time by several hours.
- Map with world time zones
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Instructions
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1
Study the map and locate the destination of the required time zone.
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2
Locate England on the map and look for "G" or "GMT," which stands for Greenwich Mean Time. Greenwich, London, is the starting center point of the 24 world time zones.
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Add one hour to GMT as you pass over each time zone to the east. Subtract one hour from GMT as you pass over each time zone to the west. For example, New York is five time zones to the west of Greenwich Mean Time. Therefore, New York time is five hours behind London time.
