Russia is the largest country in the world, with the longest west to east extent. Thus, it should have the greatest number of time zones. In my textbook, it says that there are 11 time zones in Russia. Generally, there is one time zone for every 15 degrees of longitude (as there are 360 degrees in a full circle and 24 hours in a day).
However, in 2010 the number was dropped to nine:
As you can see, Kaliningrad region remains in UTC+2 hr zone. Moscow remains in UTC+3 hr, and all other subjects of federation that are in Europe are now on that same time. Samara, which is the large city and region on the Volga, were the last to be forced to move to this new time, over many local complaints. There is no longer UTC+4 zone in Russia. Urals are in UTC+5 (two hours ahead of Moscow), Central Siberia with Novosibirsk are in UTC+6, Krasnoyarsk +7, Irkutsk +8, Yakutsk +9, Vladivostok +10 (or seven hours ahead of Moscow) and Chukotka and Kamchatka +11. The biggest change happened in the extreme east, where Magadanskaya Oblast and Chukotsky Autonomous Okrug stretch for 3 times zones west to east, now merged into one. They are in UTC+11, or 8 hours ahead. Before the change, Chukotka (and Kamchatka) were an extra hour ahead.
The reason for the change was primarily administrative convenience: when bureaucrats get to work in Moscow, it is already late afternoon in the east of the country, and with 9-hour difference it would be very hard to conduct business over the phone there. With the high centralization of power in Moscow, Far Eastern regions are the most disadvantaged. At the same time, the new system makes local solar time very different from the official time. When a region is put into artificially early timezone, as is now the case in Chukotka or Kamchatka, sun sets too early. Therefore, you get less time with decent daylight outside after work hours. This is particularly significant further south, because in the north one has benefits of polar day during the summer, when the sun either does not set at all, or only for a few hours. In general, few local people seem to like the new system in the Russian Far East.
However, in 2010 the number was dropped to nine:
As you can see, Kaliningrad region remains in UTC+2 hr zone. Moscow remains in UTC+3 hr, and all other subjects of federation that are in Europe are now on that same time. Samara, which is the large city and region on the Volga, were the last to be forced to move to this new time, over many local complaints. There is no longer UTC+4 zone in Russia. Urals are in UTC+5 (two hours ahead of Moscow), Central Siberia with Novosibirsk are in UTC+6, Krasnoyarsk +7, Irkutsk +8, Yakutsk +9, Vladivostok +10 (or seven hours ahead of Moscow) and Chukotka and Kamchatka +11. The biggest change happened in the extreme east, where Magadanskaya Oblast and Chukotsky Autonomous Okrug stretch for 3 times zones west to east, now merged into one. They are in UTC+11, or 8 hours ahead. Before the change, Chukotka (and Kamchatka) were an extra hour ahead.
The reason for the change was primarily administrative convenience: when bureaucrats get to work in Moscow, it is already late afternoon in the east of the country, and with 9-hour difference it would be very hard to conduct business over the phone there. With the high centralization of power in Moscow, Far Eastern regions are the most disadvantaged. At the same time, the new system makes local solar time very different from the official time. When a region is put into artificially early timezone, as is now the case in Chukotka or Kamchatka, sun sets too early. Therefore, you get less time with decent daylight outside after work hours. This is particularly significant further south, because in the north one has benefits of polar day during the summer, when the sun either does not set at all, or only for a few hours. In general, few local people seem to like the new system in the Russian Far East.
Good to know. Was the change in European Russia similarly administrative?
ReplyDelete