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Fact #12

In Antarctica, Even the Time Zone Follows the Delivery Guy

At the very bottom of the Earth, the South Pole station's clocks are set to New Zealand time

Justin Lee, Dumb Game Lab ·

In Antarctica, Even the Time Zone Follows the Delivery Guy
Photo: NSF/Josh Landis, employee 1999-2001, Public domain
Short answer The South Pole station runs on New Zealand time, because that's where its supplies are sent from.

The very bottom of the Earth: the South Pole. Every line of longitude meets at this one point.

Time zones are divided up by longitude. So what time is it where all the lines of longitude meet?

YauWouldn't every time be right?

The South Pole is home to America's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.
Photo: Bill Spindler, U.S. Antarctic Program, National Science Foundation, Public domain

The South Pole is home to America's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. This station uses New Zealand time.

That's because the base that sends it supplies is in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Other stations in Antarctica are similar. They use the time of the country that claims the land or the country that sends them supplies.

So Antarctica has lots of time zones all mixed together.

YauI wish I could live on delivery time too

Sources

  1. Wikipedia: Time in Antarctica
  2. Wikipedia: Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station

Photo credits

  • Ceremonial South Pole.jpg, NSF/Josh Landis, employee 1999-2001, Public domain (source)
  • Amundsen-scott-south pole station 2007.jpg, Bill Spindler, U.S. Antarctic Program, National Science Foundation, Public domain (source)

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