Antarctica time zones and current time
Antarctica has no official time zone. All lines of longitude meet at the South Pole, so the continent touches every zone at once. Instead, each research station keeps whatever time suits it, usually the time of the country or port that supplies it.
That makes for some odd neighbors: the US base at McMurdo runs on New Zealand time, while the US base at Palmer, on the Antarctic Peninsula, uses Chilean time. Near the pole the sun stays up for months in summer and down for months in winter, so clock time has little to do with daylight anyway.
Current time at research stations
| Station | UTC offset | Why | Time now |
|---|---|---|---|
| McMurdo Station (US) | UTC+13 / UTC+12 | Keeps New Zealand time, because its flights come from Christchurch. | — |
| Amundsen–Scott South Pole (US) | UTC+13 / UTC+12 | Also on New Zealand time, for the same reason. | — |
| Palmer Station (US) | UTC−3 | Uses Chilean time (Punta Arenas), its supply port. | — |
| Rothera (UK) | UTC−3 | UTC−3 all year. | — |
| Troll (Norway) | UTC+0 / UTC+2 | UTC+0, jumping to UTC+2 while Norway is on summer time (late March to late October). | — |
| Syowa (Japan) | UTC+3 | UTC+3 all year. | — |
| Mawson (Australia) | UTC+5 | UTC+5 all year. | — |
| Vostok (Russia) | UTC+5 | UTC+5 all year. | — |
| Davis (Australia) | UTC+7 | UTC+7 all year. | — |
| Casey (Australia) | UTC+8 | Has switched between UTC+8 and UTC+11 several times; now UTC+8. | — |
| Dumont d'Urville (France) | UTC+10 | UTC+10 all year. | — |
Other continents: Africa · Asia · Europe · North America · South America · Oceania
Questions people ask
What time zone is Antarctica in?
None officially. Every line of longitude meets at the poles, so Antarctica would touch all of them. Each research station picks a time instead, usually that of the country or port that supplies it.
What time is it at the South Pole?
The Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station uses New Zealand time (UTC+12, or UTC+13 in the southern summer), because flights to it come from Christchurch.