The International Date Line and time
I can use time and date maps and the International Date Line to explore time zones around the world.
The International Date Line and time
I can use time and date maps and the International Date Line to explore time zones around the world.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- West of the Prime Meridian, you ‘lose’ four minutes for every degree of longitude, and east you ‘gain’ four minutes.
- The International Date Line is 180˚ east and 180˚ west of the Prime Meridian and is the place where the date changes.
- Meridians are the basis for the 24 time zones; many deviate from the meridian to accommodate national/state borders.
- The Antimeridian forms the basis of the International Date Line, with some deviations for national borders.
Common misconception
Children my believe that a country's time zone is fixed and cannot be changed.
Countries occasionally change their time zone for practical or political reasons. For example, in 2024, Kazakhstan moved from using two time zones to observing only one times zone across the whole country: UTC+5
Keywords
Time zone - A time zone is a region where the same standard time is used.
Antimeridian - An Antimeridian is the line of longitude opposite a meridian. The Antimeridian forms the basis of the International Date Line.
Border - A border is the dividing line between two countries.
Equipment
Atlases to supplement time zones map on worksheet.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
a region where the same standard time is used
the line of longitude opposite a meridian
the dividing line between two countries