About Time Zones
In a time zone, the time is the same everywhere. Time zones are generally centered on meridians of a
longitude that is a multiple of 15º (for the simple reason that there are 24 hours in a day and 360° in a
circle; hence: 360÷24 = 15°). In order that people in a same region or in a same country live on a
synchronized time, the time zones limits are often altered.
The time is counted starting from Greenwich (called Greenwich Mean Time or GMT; some times
Universal Time or UT). Greenwich (pronounced Grenich) is a small village near London, England and was
chosen because of its historical observatory.
Since the earth turns from west to east, and Greenwich is west of Canada, the time in Canada is always
UT minus a few hours. For example, Montreal time is UT – 5; when it is 3 PM in London, it is 3 PM – 5
hours in Montreal or 10 AM.
As a rarity, Newfoundland has been placed in a time zone UT-3.5 in order to avoid a big discrepancy with
the regions of Canada farther west.
Please read page 22 and 23 of your textbook, and do questions 2 and 3 on page 23
From: http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca
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Time Zones of Canada
From: http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca
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Canada’s Geographic Position – Time Zones Assignment
Name:_________________________
1. What time is it?
a. It is _______ in Vancouver when it is 12 noon in Ottawa.
b. It is _______ in Vancouver when it is 9 AM in Ottawa.
c. It is 9 AM in Vancouver when it is _______ in Ottawa.
d. It is 3 PM in Vancouver when it is _______ in Ottawa.
e. It is midnight in Vancouver when it is _______ in Ottawa.
f. In Toronto, it is 8 AM when it is _______ in Vancouver.
g. In Winnipeg, it is _______ when it is 6 AM in Vancouver.
h. In Halifax, it is 10 PM when it is _______ in Montreal.
i. In Edmonton, it is _______ when it is 4:30 PM in Calgary.
j. In St John’s (Newfoundland and Labrador), it is 10:30 AM when it is _______ in Québec (the
city).
2. Flying in Canada:
a. Flight schedule time is always the local time in the place where the plane lands or takes off.
________________________
b. A plane takes off from Montreal at 7:00 AM going to Vancouver. The flight lasts 6 hours. At
what time will it land?
________________________
c. A plane takes off from Edmonton at 1:00 PM going to Toronto. The flight lasts 4 hours. At
what time will it land?
________________________
d. A plane takes off from Winnipeg at 10:00 AM. It goes to Halifax where it stops 2 hours and
returns to Winnipeg. At what time will it land in Winnipeg?
________________________
From: http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca
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From: http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca
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