Time in Estonia facts for kids

Estonia is a country located in Europe. Like many places around the world, it uses specific time zones. These time zones help everyone know the correct time, whether it's for school, work, or just meeting up with friends. Time zones are like invisible lines that divide the Earth. They help us keep track of time as the Earth spins.

Time zones of Europe. EET (UTC+02:00) and EEST (UTC+03:00) in yellow.

Understanding Estonia's Time

Estonia uses two main time zones during the year. These are Eastern European Time (EET) and Eastern European Summer Time (EEST). The time zone changes depending on the season. This system helps make the most of daylight.

Eastern European Time (EET)

During the winter months, Estonia uses Eastern European Time. This time zone is also known as UTC+02:00. UTC stands for Coordinated Universal Time. It is the main time standard for the world. So, when Estonia is on EET, it is two hours ahead of UTC. This means if it's 12:00 PM (noon) UTC, it would be 2:00 PM in Estonia.

Eastern European Summer Time (EEST)

When summer arrives, Estonia switches to Eastern European Summer Time. This time zone is UTC+03:00. It means Estonia is three hours ahead of UTC during summer. This change is part of something called daylight saving time. It helps people have more daylight in the evenings.

What is Daylight Saving Time?

Daylight saving time (DST) is a practice where clocks are moved forward by one hour. This usually happens in the spring. Then, they are moved back one hour in the autumn. The idea is to make better use of natural daylight. It means evenings have more light. Mornings might be a bit darker at first.

History of Time Changes in Estonia

Estonia has been observing daylight saving time for many years. It first started using it in 1981. At that time, Estonia was part of the Soviet Union. However, there were some periods when DST was not used. It was paused from 1989 to 1996. It was also not used in 2000 and 2001. Since then, Estonia has continued to use daylight saving time every year. This helps align its time with many other European countries.