LOCATIONS/NATIONS CLOSEST TO THE EQUATOR THAT HAVE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
(SOMETIMES KNOWN AS SUMMER TIME)
These countries (or at least sections of these countries) change the time on their clocks one
hour forward during summer. The latitude listed is the part of the country closest to the
equator using daylight saving time (DST). Normally, nations which use DST are in the
temperate and polar latitudes, where there are greater differences between the day lengths
in winter and summer.
Updated in 2006: Three Central American countries added Daylight Saving Time! Nicaragua,
Honduras and Guatemala therefore are catapulted to the #2, 3 and 4 positions. Brazil remains
#1 despite removing the state of Tocantins from the list in 2003 (so DST only extends north to
about 7° S, at the northern extreme of Mato Grosso, instead of 5° S).
7° S
11° N
13° N
14° N
15° N
17° S
18° S
19° S
20° N
21° N
* Brazil determines which of its areas have summer time each year. During most recent years, the
state of Mato Grosso was the furthest north in Brazil in which summer time extended (the north
end of Mato Grosso is near 7° S), but during some past years, including 1993-1994, sections of
the Brazilian equator (or even north of the equator) shifted the clocks an hour forward
during the Brazilian “summer” (as defined by that part of Brazil south of the equator, where
the major cities are).
