Atlantic Standard Time Zone facts for kids
The Atlantic Standard Time Zone (AST) is a way to measure time used in many places around the Atlantic Ocean. When people use AST, their clocks are set four hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). You can think of UTC as a main world clock. So, AST is also called UTC-4. This time zone is based on the sun's position at a special line called the 60th degree meridian west of Greenwich.
Contents
Understanding Atlantic Standard Time
What is UTC-4?
UTC stands for Coordinated Universal Time. It's the main time standard that the world uses. When we say AST is UTC-4, it means that if the time in UTC is 12:00 PM (noon), then the time in the AST zone would be 8:00 AM. This difference helps keep clocks consistent across different parts of the world.
Where is AST Used?
Many countries and regions use Atlantic Standard Time. It's common in parts of North America, the Caribbean, and South America.
AST in North America
In Canada, three provinces use AST:
The island territory of Bermuda also uses AST. Both these Canadian provinces and Bermuda switch to a different time in the summer.
AST in Other Regions
Several islands in the Caribbean use AST. These include:
Some countries in South America also follow AST. These are:
Venezuela used AST for a while, then changed its time, but switched back to AST on May 1, 2016.
Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT)
During the summer months, many places that use AST switch to daylight saving time. This means they move their clocks forward by one hour. When they do this, they start using Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT). ADT is UTC-3, which means it's only three hours behind Coordinated Universal Time. This change helps make better use of daylight in the evenings.
See also
In Spanish: Tiempo del Atlántico para niños
