Central Time Zone

Last updated

Central Time Zone
Time zone
Timezoneswest.PNG
  Central Time Zone
UTC offset
CST UTC−06:00
CDT UTC−05:00
Current time
21:26, 21 March 2023 CST [refresh]
22:26, 21 March 2023 CDT [refresh]
Observance of DST
DST is observed in some of this time zone.

The North American Central Time Zone (CT or C) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Contents

Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). During summer, most of the zone uses daylight saving time (DST), and changes to Central Daylight Time (CDT) which is five hours behind UTC. [1]

The largest city in the Central Time Zone is Mexico City; the Mexico City metropolitan area is the largest metropolitan area in the zone and in North America.

Regions using (North American) Central Time

Canada

The province of Manitoba is the only province or territory in Canada that observes Central Time in all areas.

The following Canadian provinces and territories observe Central Time in the areas noted, while their other areas observe Eastern Time:

Also, most of the province of Saskatchewan is on Central Standard Time year-round, never adjusting for Daylight Saving Time. Major exceptions include Lloydminster, a city situated on the boundary between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The city charter stipulates that it shall observe Mountain Time and DST, putting the community on the same time as all of Alberta, including the major cities of Calgary and Edmonton. As a result, during the summer, clocks in the entire province match those in Alberta, but during the winter, clocks in most of the province match those in Manitoba.

United States

Ten states are contained entirely in the Central Time Zone:

Five states are split between the Central Time Zone and the Mountain Time Zone:

Five states are split between the Central Time Zone and the Eastern Time Zone:

Additionally, Phenix City, Alabama, and several nearby communities in Russell County, Alabama, unofficially observe Eastern Time. This is due to their close proximity to Columbus, Georgia, which is on Eastern Time.

Although legally located within the Central Time Zone, Kenton, Oklahoma—located to the adjacent east of the defined border of the Central and Mountain time zones (at the Oklahoma−New Mexico state line)—unofficially observes Mountain Time. [2] This is reportedly because most people who interact with the town reside in either New Mexico or Colorado. [3] [2]

Mexico

Most of Mexico—roughly the eastern three-fourths—lies in the Central Time Zone, except for five northwestern states (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Sonora, and most of Nayarit) and one southeastern state (Quintana Roo).

The federal entities of Mexico that observe Central Time:

Central America

Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua all use Central Standard Time year-round.

Eastern Pacific islands and other areas

The Galápagos Islands in Ecuador uses Central Standard Time all year-round; the remainder of Ecuador uses Eastern Standard Time. Both Easter Island and Salas y Gómez Island in Chile uses Central Standard Time during the Southern Hemisphere winter and Central Daylight Time during the Southern Hemisphere summer; the remainder of Chile uses Atlantic Standard Time and Atlantic Daylight Time.

Central Daylight Time

Daylight saving time (DST) is in effect in much of the Central time zone between mid-March and early November. The modified time is called "Central Daylight Time" (CDT) and is UTC−05:00. In Canada, Saskatchewan does not observe a time change. One reason for Saskatchewan's lack of a time change is that the 105th meridian of longitude, the start point for the Mountain Time Zone, divides the province into approximately equal portions. The province elected to move onto "permanent" daylight saving by being part of the Central Time Zone. The only exception is the region immediately surrounding the Saskatchewan side of the bi-provincial city of Lloydminster, which has chosen to use Mountain Time with DST, synchronizing its clocks with those of Alberta.

In those areas of the Canadian and American time zones that observe DST, beginning in 2007, the local time changes at 02:00 local standard time to 03:00 local daylight time on the second Sunday in March and returns at 02:00 local daylight time to 01:00 local standard time on the first Sunday in November. Mexico decided not to go along with this change and observes their horario de verano from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. In December 2009, the Mexican Congress allowed ten border cities, eight of which are in states that observe Central Time, to adopt the U.S. daylight time schedule effective in 2010. October 2022, was the last CDT in Mexico, as they abolished DST. In the US, the Sunshine Protection Act is proposed legislation that would permanently end time seasonal changes. [5]

Alphabetical list of major Central Time Zone metropolitan areas

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historical regions of the United States</span>

The territory of the United States and its overseas possessions has evolved over time, from the colonial era to the present day. It includes formally organized territories, proposed and failed states, unrecognized breakaway states, international and interstate purchases, cessions, and land grants, and historical military departments and administrative districts. The last section lists informal regions from American vernacular geography known by popular nicknames and linked by geographical, cultural, or economic similarities, some of which are still in use today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time in the United States</span> U.S. time zones

Time in the United States, by law, is divided into nine standard time zones covering the states, territories and other US possessions, with most of the United States observing daylight saving time (DST) for approximately the spring, summer, and fall months. The time zone boundaries and DST observance are regulated by the Department of Transportation, but no single map of those existed until the agency announced intentions to make one in September 2022. Official and highly precise timekeeping services (clocks) are provided by two federal agencies: the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) ; and the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). The clocks run by these services are kept synchronized with each other as well as with those of other international timekeeping organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC−05:00</span> Identifier for a time offset from UTC of −5

UTC−05:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −05:00. In North America, it is observed in the Eastern Time Zone during standard time, and in the Central Time Zone during the other eight months. The western Caribbean uses it year round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTC−06:00</span> Identifier for a time offset from UTC of −6

UTC−06:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of −06:00. In North America, it is observed in the Central Time Zone during standard time, and in the Mountain Time Zone during the other eight months. Several Latin American countries and a few other places use it year-round.

The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 105.9 MHz:

USA Volleyball (USAV) is a non-profit organization which is recognized as the national governing body of volleyball in the United States by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). It is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was founded by the YMCA of the USA. The organization is responsible for selecting and supporting US national teams that compete in FIVB-sanctioned international volleyball and beach volleyball competitions such as the Olympic Summer Games. USA Volleyball is also charged with fostering the development of the sport of volleyball within the United States through involvement with its forty Regional Volleyball Associations (RVAs).

The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 88.9 MHz:

The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 92.9 MHz:

The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 93.5 MHz:

The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 94.5 MHz:

The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 95.7 MHz:

The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 104.1 MHz:

The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 105.3 MHz:

The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 105.5 Hz:

In Canada, daylight saving time (DST) is observed in nine of the country's ten provinces and two of its three territories—though with exceptions in parts of several provinces and Nunavut.

References

  1. ↑ "Central Time (CST/CDT) | GMT". greenwichmeantime.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  2. 1 2 Young, Norma Gene. "Cimarron County," Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Historical Society, Accessed June 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ Bright, Sheilah (19 September 2012). "The Last of Kenton". This Land Press. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  4. ↑ Leyes Bibliography [ dead link ]
  5. ↑ S.623 - Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 US Congress
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.