There are some countries and regions that follow unusual time zones. Many of them are in increments of a half hour, different from the usual hour difference you normally see. People traveling to and from areas of the world that use unusual time zones may become confused or have trouble discerning the local time.
A great example of this is in India, where despite only being a half an hour different from Coordinated Universal Time the time difference appears much larger. See our description of time zones in India below for a better explanation.
Locations that use non standard time zones include India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Newfoundland, Regions of Australia, Venezuela, Nepal, Chatham Islands, and the Marquesas Islands.
Time Zone In India
Oddly enough, despite its vast size, all of India uses one time zone. They observe the Indian Standard Time (IST) which has an offset of thirty minutes from Coordinated Universal Time.
As an example, at 12:00 AM in an area using Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it is 5:30 AM in India.
Click here -> India Time Zone Conversion to see the above time conversion in action.
India does not observe Daylight Saving, so the same time standard is used year round.
Time Zone In Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka adopted Indian Standard Time -- used in India -- in April 2006. This means they use a standard time with an offset of thirty minutes from UTC. See the description of India's time zone above to better understand the time difference between this time zone and Coordinated Universal Time.
Time Zone In Afghanistan
Afghanistan observes Afghanistan Time (AFT) and it has an offset of UTC + 4:30.
Time Zone In Iran
Iran uses Iran Standard Time (IRST) during winter months and Iran Daylight Time (IRDT) during summer months while Daylight Saving is active. Iran Standard Time is designated as UTC + 3:30, and Iran Daylight Time is designated as UTC + 4:30.
Time Zone In Myanmar
Many cities in Myanmar -- which is located in Southeast Asia -- use an offset of UTC + 6:30.
Time Zone In Newfoundland
Newfoundland in Canada uses Newfoundland Standard Time (NST) which has an offset of UTC - 3:30. During Daylight Saving, the area switches to an offset of UTC - 2:30.
Time Zone In Australia
There are some areas of Australia that observe a non-standard time zone.
The Northern Territory, a town called Broken Hill in New South Wales, and South Australia observe Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) and it has an offset of UTC + 9:30. However, during Daylight Saving South Australia and Broken Hill switch to UTC + 10:30.
Daylight Saving is not used in the Northern Territory so they remain on the same time standard year round.
Lord Howe Island uses an offset of UTC + 11 during the summer. In the winter, after Daylight Saving is over they set the clocks back a half hour (UTC + 10:30).
Eucla and nearby towns use UTC + 8:45.
Norfolk Island recently changed from + 11:30, but now uses + 11:00. The Cocos Islands use UTC + 6:30.
Time Zone In Venezuela
Venezuela observes the offset of UTC - 4:30. This is because Hugo Chavez, the Venezuelan President in 2007 decided to permanently move the country's time backwards by a half hour.
Time Zone In Nepal
Nepal is fifteen minutes ahead of India's time zone. That means, when it is 12:00 AM in Greenwich -- at the Prime Meridian -- it is 5:45 AM in the greater Nepal area and Kathmandu.
Time Zone In the Chatham Islands
The Chatham Islands -- located in New Zealand -- observe Chatham Standard Time which has a forty-five minute offset from Coordinated Universal Time. It is the only area that uses such an alteration.
The offset is labeled as UTC + 12:45 during winter months and UTC + 13:45 during summer months when Daylight Saving is active.
Time Zone In the Marquesas Islands
The Marqueses Islands -- located in the French Polynesia -- observe Marquesas Time (MART), and that is nine and a half hours (9:30) behind Coordinated Universal Time.
Related Articles:
History of Time Zones
What is a Time Zone?
Time Zones in Europe