Time in Cyprus facts for kids
The island of Cyprus is located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It has a special system for telling time. Like many places, Cyprus changes its clocks twice a year to make the most of daylight.
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What Time Zone Does Cyprus Use?
Cyprus mainly uses two time zones throughout the year. During the cooler months, from late October to late March, it uses Eastern European Time (EET). This means the time is two hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), written as UTC+02:00.
How Does Summer Time Work?
When the weather gets warmer, from late March to late October, Cyprus switches to Eastern European Summer Time (EEST). For EEST, the clocks move forward by one hour. This makes the time three hours ahead of UTC, or UTC+03:00. This change helps people enjoy more daylight in the evenings.
Time Changes in Northern Cyprus
The northern part of Cyprus, often called Northern Cyprus, had a different time rule for a short period. In 2016, the leaders in Northern Cyprus decided to follow Turkey Time (TRT). Turkey had chosen not to change its clocks back for winter that year, so it stayed at UTC+03:00 all year round.
Why Did Northern Cyprus Change Back?
This meant that for about a year, Northern Cyprus was one hour ahead of the rest of Cyprus during the winter months. This caused some confusion for people traveling between the two parts of the island. Because of this, on October 29, 2017, Northern Cyprus decided to go back to using Eastern European Time (EET) and Eastern European Summer Time (EEST), just like the rest of the island. This made the time consistent across the whole island again.
