Half-hour time zones: 10 places on a 30-minute offset

Timekeeping doesn’t always follow the neat “whole-hour” grid. While most places set clocks in one-hour steps from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), a smaller set uses half-hour offsets—administrative choices that governments can change. The article highlights 10 locations today where time runs 30 minutes off the standard hourly scheme. India and Sri Lanka keep UTC+5:30, while Iran, Afghanistan and Myanmar each use different half-hour settings. Canada’s Newfoundland uses its own time, and Australia includes South Australia, the Northern Territory and Lord Howe Island. French Polynesia’s Marquesas Islands sit at UTC-9:30. Some regions go further with 45-minute offsets.