The country that starts the next day first is Kiribati.
Understanding the International Date Line
The concept of which country starts the day first is directly tied to the International Date Line (IDL). This is an imaginary line on the surface of Earth that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole and designates the place where each calendar day begins. When you cross the IDL traveling westward, you advance your calendar by one day. When you cross the IDL traveling eastward, you subtract a day.
Kiribati: The First to See the New Day
According to the provided reference, the title of first to celebrate the new day belongs to a cluster of islands in the Pacific Ocean known as Kiribati.
Specifically, within Kiribati:
- The Line Islands, located east of the International Date Line, are highlighted as the first to see the new day.
Kiribati adjusted its time zones in 1994 to move the IDL to the east of the country, ensuring the entire nation operated on the same side of the date line. This strategic move placed its easternmost islands, like the Line Islands, far to the west side of the IDL as it now runs, effectively making them the earliest inhabited places to enter a new calendar day.
Why Kiribati?
Kiribati's unique geographical position, particularly the location of its eastern islands relative to the adjusted International Date Line, gives it the distinction of being the first nation to welcome the new day and year.
- Location: Situated in the central Pacific Ocean.
- Time Zone: Its eastern islands are in the UTC+14 time zone, the earliest time zone in the world.
- International Date Line: The adjusted IDL bends around Kiribati, placing its islands on the earliest side.
This makes Kiribati a popular destination, especially its Kiritimati (Christmas) Island in the Line Islands, for people wanting to be among the very first globally to celebrate the start of a new day or a new year.
