Discovering the U.S.

Page 8

Time Zones

Local Time Zone

There are nine standard time zones across the U.S. and its territories. The four zones covering

the 48 contiguous states are Pacific Standard Time, Mountain Standard Time, Central Standard

Time, and Eastern Standard Time. Alaska Time Zone covers most of Alaska, and Hawaii-

Aleutian Time Zone covers Alaska’s Aleutian, and the Hawaiian Islands.

Daylight Saving Time

Daylight Savings Time (DST) was adopted by the U.S. in 1918 as “An Act to preserve daylight

and provide standard time for the U.S.” Americans advance their clocks one hour during the

summer months, resulting in an “extra” hour of daylight. The act was created to save energy, by

reducing the amount of electricity used in the morning and evening. Although the date changes

each year, generally it is the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November.

The federal law that established DST does not require any area to observe daylight savings

time. If a state chooses to observe DST, it must follow the starting and ending dates set by the

law. The website

offers a helpful map and information

on the countries and territories operating in daylight savings time.

Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation), Hawaii, and the territories of Puerto Rico,

Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa, do not observe DST. Instead, these areas stay on

"standard time" all year long.

Helpful Hint:

An easy way to remember which way to reset clocks on the day DST

takes effect is, “Spring forward, fall back.” Meaning clocks are advanced an hour in the

spring and they move back an hour in the fall (autumn).

Hawaii-Aleutian

Alaska