Consider the following countries:
- I.United Kingdom
- II.Denmark
- III.New Zealand
- IV.Australia
- V.Brazil
How many of the above countries have more than four time zones?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) Only four
UPSC's official answer: (b) · the answer UPSC accepted, and the one that counts in the exam
Also defensible: (c)
- Brazil is the clear exclusion: its legal time uses exactly four zones, 'UTC - 5 hours UTC - 4 hours UTC - 3 hours UTC - 2 hours', so it does not have more than four.
- UPSC's (b) counts the other four with their overseas territories: the United Kingdom's Overseas Territories span 'nine time zones'; Australia has three mainland zones plus Norfolk Island (UTC+11), Christmas Island (UTC+7) and the Cocos Islands (UTC+6:30); New Zealand has its mainland, the Chatham Islands '45 minutes ahead', Tokelau, and the Cook Islands and Niue; Denmark has its mainland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland's three zones.
- Counted strictly by distinct standard offsets, Denmark falls short: UTC+1 (Denmark), UTC+0 (shared by the Faroe Islands and Danmarkshavn), UTC-2 (most of Greenland since 2023) and UTC-4 (Pituffik) make four, not more. That leaves the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand: three, option (c).
- New Zealand's own count depends on the Cook Islands and Niue, each 'a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand' rather than part of it; without them New Zealand has UTC+12, UTC+12:45 and Tokelau's UTC+13, and only two countries remain (d). The item turns on the counting convention.
UPSC's key is (b), on the usual tally that counts overseas territories and associated states; by distinct standard offsets Denmark has four and New Zealand three, which gives (c) or even (d). In the exam, use the common tally with territories, as UPSC does.
- Brazilian Legal Time, Observatório Nacional (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Brazil) ↗“Time zones adopted in Brazilian Legal Time referenced to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): UTC - 5 hours UTC - 4 hours UTC - 3 hours UTC - 2 hours”
- Greenland shifts to new time zone, Visit Greenland (national tourism board), Internet Archive copy of 2024 ↗“Today, Greenland is divided into three time zones. The regular time zone is UTC -2”
- New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Cook Islands ↗“The Cook Islands is a self-governing state in ‘free association’ with New Zealand.”
This box is Minimalist IAS's analysis, with its sources; it does not change UPSC's answer.
Counted with overseas territories and associated states, as the usual tally does, four of the five countries have more than four time zones: the United Kingdom (its Overseas Territories span nine zones), Australia (three mainland zones plus Norfolk, Christmas and Cocos Islands at the least), New Zealand (mainland, the Chatham Islands, Tokelau, and the associated Cook Islands and Niue) and Denmark (mainland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland's three zones). Brazil's legal time uses exactly four zones, UTC-5 to UTC-2, so it does not exceed four: (b).
- ✓ I The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee notes that the British Overseas Territories are spread across nine time zones, so the United Kingdom exceeds four zones once its territories are counted.
- ✓ II Denmark's count is mainland Denmark (UTC+1), the Faroe Islands (Greenwich Mean Time in winter) and Greenland, which is divided into three time zones (UTC-4 at Pituffik, UTC-2 for most of the island, UTC+0 at Danmarkshavn): five zones by the usual tally.
- ✓ III New Zealand's count is New Zealand Standard Time (UTC+12), Chatham Island Standard Time, 45 minutes ahead of it, the territory of Tokelau (UTC+13) and the associated states of the Cook Islands (UTC-10) and Niue (UTC-11): five by the usual tally.
- ✓ IV The Australian Government's own table lists three mainland zones plus Norfolk Island (UTC+11), Christmas Island (UTC+7) and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (UTC+6:30), six in all.
- ✗ V Brazil's official legal time uses exactly four zones, UTC-5, UTC-4, UTC-3 and UTC-2, so it does not have more than four.
Remember · Count time zones with overseas territories: UK (nine), Australia (at least six), New Zealand (five) and Denmark (five) exceed four; Brazil has exactly four (UTC-5 to UTC-2).
Sources
- Global Britain and the British Overseas Territories: Resetting the relationship, House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee ↗ · reference work “The British Overseas Territories (the OTs) are spread across four oceans and nine time zones, from Bermuda in the Atlantic to Pitcairn in the Pacific.”
- Time zones and daylight saving, australia.gov.au (Australian Government), Internet Archive copy of 2021: mainland ↗ “Australia is the world's sixth largest country and is divided into three separate time zones. … Norfolk Island Standard Time (NFT) Norfolk Island Kingston UTC+11:00 Christmas Island Standard Time (CXT) Christmas Island UTC+07:00 Cocos (Keeling) Islands Standard Time (CCT) Cocos (Keeling) Islands UTC+06:30”
- Greenland shifts to new time zone, Visit Greenland (national tourism board of Greenland), Internet Archive copy of 2024 ↗ · reference work “Today, Greenland is divided into three time zones. The regular time zone is UTC -2”
- Brazilian Legal Time, Observatório Nacional (Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Brazil) ↗ · reference work “Time zones adopted in Brazilian Legal Time referenced to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC): UTC - 5 hours UTC - 4 hours UTC - 3 hours UTC - 2 hours”
- Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand Government), press release: Daylight Saving time starts this Sunday ↗ · reference work “The Chatham Islands observes Chatham Island Standard Time, which is 45 minutes ahead for New Zealand Standard Time.”
- Time zone, Visit Faroe Islands (national tourism board of the Faroe Islands); 'wither' is the page's own spelling ↗ · reference work “Time in the Faroe Islands is measured using Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) during the wither months and GMT + 1 hour during the summer.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·