Time zones don't seem to make a lot of sense, and there are far more than you might expect

Greenwich , England was established at the Prime Meridian , located at 0 longitude, which runs through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich .

This decision was formalized in 1880 or at the International Meridian Conference , where delegates from 25 nations convened to standardize global time keeping and navigation.

There are actually 40 recognized time zones today .

Time functions differently at the North and South Poles , where the standard concept of hours and days break down.

At these extreme latitudes, most time zones converge, making it theoretically possible to walk through every hour on the planet in a matter of minutes .

At the South Pole , where Antarctica 's a Munson Scott Station is located, time is typically set to New Zealand Standard Time.

China 's decision to use a single time zone is a striking anomaly in global time keeping.

Australia uses a 45 minute offset to balance local solar time with schedules of the surrounding regions.

Nepal 's time zone, set at UTC plus 545 , is one of the world's most unusual offsets.

Arizona 's refusal to observe daylight savings time sets it apart in the United States , creating a unique quirk.