Daylight Savings Time is the annual adjusting of time in the warmer months of the year in order to increase the length of the day into the afternoon and evening. In the Northern Hemisphere, Daylight Savings Time typically begins in March or April, and time is restored back to "normal" around October or November. Clocks are moved forward one hour in spring and then backwards in Fall – or, as the popular phrase states, "Spring forward, Fall behind."
In much of the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are reversed, DST begins around September and ends around March. In many parts of the world, Daylight Savings Time is known as "Summer Time."
DST is a controversial practice, and it is not observed universally around the world. To make matters more confusing, countries and municipalities that observe Daylight Savings Time do not all do it at the exact same time of year, resulting in confused travellers everywhere.
So when is Daylight Savings Time? When does DST begin? When does DST end? Here's a rundown on when Daylight Savings Time occurs throughout the world.
Daylight Savings Time in the United States, Canada, and Mexico
In almost all of the United States, DST begins the second Sunday in March. It ends on the first Sunday in November. This change was made in 2007; previously, DST lasted from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. Most of Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings Time, and neither does Hawaii. Until 2007, most of Indiana also refused to observe DST.
Most of Canada observes Daylight Savings Time at the same time as the United States. However, scattered municipalities and regions throughout the country do not observe DST. Saskatchewan, which encompasses two different time zones, has opted to stay on DST all year long in order to standardize time in the province.
Mexico has only observed Daylight Savings time since 1996. DST in Mexico is shorter than it is in the U.S. and Canada, from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October.
Daylight Savings Time in Europe
For years, DST in Europe varied by country, which could be quite confusing. Today, most of Europe has standardized DST, which begins on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in April. The one major exception in Iceland, which does not observe DST.
Daylight Savings Time in South America
DST is not observed at all in Venezuela, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana, and is also not observed in large portions of Brazil. In the countries where DST is practiced, it is not done so uniformly. Since the continent spans the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, DST falls at opposite times of the year in different parts of the continent.
Daylight Savings Time in Africa
Very few African nations observe Daylight Savings Time. In the Northern Hemisphere, DST is observed in Egypt, Morocco, and the Canary Islands. In Morocco, DST only lasts from June 1 to September 1. Namibia is the only Southern Hemisphere country in Africa to observe DST.
Daylight Savings Time in Asia
Very few nations in Asia observe DST either. This includes India, China, Japan, North and South Korea, and Indonesia. One exception is Israel, which observes DST between the last Friday before April 2 and the Sunday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Gaza and the West Bank also observe DST at times that are slightly different than Israel. Varying forms of DST are also observed in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Australia and Oceania
Most of Australia observes Daylight Savings Time from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April. In New Zealand, DST is observed from the last Sunday in September until the first Sunday in April. Most of the surrounding islands in the area do not observe DST.
Daylight Savings Time: When and Where?
Worldwide, DST is far from a standardized practice. While efforts have been made to standardize daylight Standard Time in North America and Europe, other countries throughout the world practice DST at varying times, and the majority of the world's population does not practice it at all.
Source
For more information about Daylight Savings Time, see Daylight Savings Time at WebExhibits.org.
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