1704036256-1/Sydney-New-Year-(1)1704036256-1.jpeg "fireworks light up the sky above the sydney harbour bridge and sydney opera house as new year s eve celebrations begin around the world photo afp")
As the world prepares to celebrate the arrival of 2025, due to differences in time zones not all countries will mark the New Year at the same time.
Which country will celebrate New Year first?
Kiritimati Island, also known as Christmas Island, along with 10 other uninhabited islands in the central Pacific, will be the first to ring in 2025.
These islands follow the world's baseline time zone, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and celebrate ahead of other countries.
Tonga, New Zealand, and Samoa will also be among the first to welcome the New Year, followed by Eastern Australia.
Which country will celebrate New Year last?
On the opposite end of the time zone spectrum, two uninhabited islands, Baker Island and Howland Island, located southwest of Hawaii, will be the last to celebrate 2025.
These remote islands are the furthest to the west, making them the final locations to celebrate the New Year.
The United States, with cities like New York and Washington DC, will also join the last wave of celebrations, welcoming 2025 at 5am GMT.
As for Pakistan, the country will ring in the New Year at 7pm GMT on December 31, making it one of the first nations to mark the occasion.
Neighbouring India and Bangladesh will celebrate at 6:30pm GMT and 6:00pm GMT, respectively. Other countries in the region, including Afghanistan and Iran, will follow suit, welcoming 2025 at 7:30pm and 8:30pm GMT, respectively.
Influence of Time Zones
The Earth is divided into 24 time zones, each corresponding to a specific standard time based on its longitude.
This division explains why New Year’s celebrations happen at different times around the world.
A key factor in this time division is the International Date Line, which determines the start and end of each day.
Established in 1884, the Date Line runs approximately along the 180th meridian in the Pacific Ocean.
It marks where a new day begins and is positioned directly opposite the Prime Meridian in Greenwich, England, serving as the boundary between two consecutive calendar days.
Countries have the flexibility to choose which side of the International Date Line they wish to adopt, giving them the authority to set their own local times.
Currently, there are 38 distinct time zones worldwide, as noted by National Geographic.
Due to the complexities of these time zones, the exact moment of the New Year’s celebration varies depending on the location.
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