Geography
How Political Convenience Redraws Time Zone Boundaries
Quick fact
China officially uses a single time zone (UTC+8) across the entire country, even though it geographically spans nearly five solar time zones—a political choice to promote national unity and simplify administration.
Why this is interesting
You've probably noticed that time zones on a map look like wavy lines, not straight meridians. Why does China, which spans almost 5 hours of solar time, have just one time zone?