The entrance into a new year is always greeted with so much excitement and aspiration by most of the people in the world, irrespective of race, religion and belief. They are united in celebrations to welcome every New Year in style, though, some people do not see anything so special in a New Year, they see it as just any other day.
The year 2020 is not just a New Year, it’s the start of a new decade. And there are so many speculations and plans for the year, locally, nationally, internationally and globally! This pops up more interest in which country and people kick off the year.
With 2020 breaking at different times across the globe, below is a breakdown on the first and the last country to ring in the New Year.
While some countries would have entered into the new decade, other countries, including Nigeria, are still in 2019.
The Pacific island of Tonga will ring in the Year at 10:00am GMT on December 31, 2019 – making the tiny island nation the first to head into a fresh year.
Where will 2020 arrive last?
After travelling all around the world, the New Year eventually comes full circle – or near enough in the tiny outlying islands of the US in Baker Island and Howland Island at 12pm GMT on January 1 – but because the island is deserted, we care to forget about it.
Second to the last country to enter into the New Year 2020 would be American Samoa at 12noon GMT. Interestingly, this country is just 558 miles from Tonga, where locals and visitors were celebrating a full 25 hours before.
What time does New Year arrive around the world?
Using London time, which uses GMT without any pkus or minus, this is when the world will welcome 2020:
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
10:00am – Samoa and Christmas Island/Kiribati
10:15am – New Zealand
1:00pm – Most of Australia
3:00pm – Japan, South Korea and North Korea
4:00pm – China, Philippines, Singapore
5:00pm – Thailand, Cambodia and large parts of Indonesia
6:00pm – Bangladesh
6.15pm – Nepal
6.30pm – India and Sri Lanka
7:00pm – Pakistan
8:00pm – Azerbaijan
8.30pm – Iran
9:00pm – Turkey, Iraq, Kenya and most of Russia
10:00pm – Greece, Romania, South Africa, Hungary and other central and eastern European cities
11:00pm – Nigeria, Germany, France, Italy, Algeria, Belgium, Spain
Midnight – UK, Ireland, Ghana, Iceland, Portugal
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
2:00am – Regions of Brazil
3:00am – Argentina, regions of Brazil, Chile, Paraguay
4:00am – Some regions of Canada, Bolivia, Puerto Rico
5:00am – Eastern Standard Time in the US – New York, Washington, Detroit and Cuba
6:00am – Central Standard Time in the US – Chicago
7:00am – Mountain Standard Time in the US – Colorado, Arizona
8:00am – Pacific Standard Time in the US – LA, Nevada9am – Alaska
10:00am – Hawaii11am – American Samoa
12:00pm – Baker Island, Howland Island
