Which country has the most time zones? (It isn't Russia.)
The short answer
France, with 12 time zones. Russia is the biggest country on Earth, but it has 11.Russia stretches across 11 time zones on one continuous piece of land, so it's the answer most people give. But France isn't only the country in Europe. It also governs islands and territories scattered around the world, and each one keeps its own local time.
Where are France's time zones?
Starting in the Pacific and moving east, France keeps time in French Polynesia, the Marquesas and the Gambier Islands, Clipperton Island, Guadeloupe and Martinique, French Guiana and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, mainland France, Mayotte, Réunion, the French Southern Territories, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna. The zones run from UTC−10 to UTC+12. If you also count France's claim in Antarctica, the total reaches 13.
Wait, what?
China is almost as wide as the continental United States, yet the whole country runs on a single time zone. In the far west, the sun can rise after 9 a.m.
Who comes next?
After France come Russia and the United States, with 11 each (the US total counts its overseas territories). The United Kingdom has 9, also thanks to its overseas territories, and Australia has 8 once you include its islands.
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