IAS Prelims Geography Q.9–2025 | World Time Zones & Political Geography
Authentic Classroom Explanation by IAS Monk
📌 Question
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?
(a) All the five
(b) Only four
(c) Only three
(d) Only two
✅ Correct Answer: (c) Only three
🎯 Theme of the Question
World Geography | Time Zones | Political Geography | Overseas Territories | UPSC Trap Areas
🧠 Classroom Explanation
This is a classic UPSC Geography trap question where the examiner is not testing mainland geography, but your awareness of overseas territories, dependencies, and political reach of countries.
Many aspirants answer instinctively based only on mainland time zones and fall straight into the trap.
Let us decode country by country.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Mainland UK → 1 time zone (GMT / BST)
- But UK has numerous overseas territories:
- Bermuda
- British Virgin Islands
- Falkland Islands
- Pitcairn Islands
- Gibraltar, etc.
👉 Total: ~9 time zones
✔️ More than four → COUNT IT
🇩🇰 Denmark
- Mainland Denmark → 1 time zone (CET)
- But Danish Realm includes:
- Faroe Islands → separate time zone
- Greenland → 3 time zones
👉 Total: More than 4 time zones
✔️ COUNT IT
🇳🇿 New Zealand
- North & South Islands → same time zone
- Chatham Islands → +45 minutes
- Tokelau (dependency) → separate time zone
👉 Total: 3 time zones
❌ Less than four → DO NOT COUNT
🇦🇺 Australia
- Mainland Australia:
- 5 standard time zones
- External territories add more:
- Christmas Island
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Norfolk Island
👉 Total: ~9 time zones
✔️ COUNT IT
🇧🇷 Brazil
Brazil has exactly four standard time zones:
- Acre Time (ACT)
- Amazon Time (AMT)
- Brasília Time (BRT)
- Fernando de Noronha Time (FNT)
👉 Exactly four ≠ more than four
❌ DO NOT COUNT
🧮 Final Count
| Country | More than 4 Time Zones? |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | ✅ Yes |
| Denmark | ✅ Yes |
| New Zealand | ❌ No |
| Australia | ✅ Yes |
| Brazil | ❌ No |
👉 Total = 3 countries
✅ Final Answer
Correct Answer: (c) Only three
🧠 Memory Hook
“Empires stretch clocks, not continents.”
(Overseas territories stretch time zones.)
🔍 Curiosity Corner
Why does France (not asked here) have 12+ time zones?
Because of:
- Caribbean territories
- Pacific islands
- Indian Ocean islands
👉 France actually has the most time zones in the world.
📘 Enrichment Note (UPSC Gold Zone)
UPSC often frames time-zone questions to test:
- Political geography
- Overseas territories
- Hidden administrative reach
⚠️ Never answer time-zone questions by looking only at the mainland.
🎯 Prelims Strategy Insight
When UPSC asks:
- “How many countries have…”
- And includes UK, France, Denmark, Australia
👉 Always think overseas dependencies first.
🧩 One-Line Ready Recall
UK, Denmark, Australia → >4 time zones | NZ & Brazil → ≤4
🧭 IAS Monk Whisper
Time follows power, not landmass.