Bidding farewell to 2023, countries around the world is gearing to welcome the next year. As the countdown begins, fireworks, and celebrations mark the entry of another new year as the clock strikes midnight on December 31. Kiribati, is the first country to welcome New Year 2024.
Kiribati, an island country in Oceania, made up of atolls had three time zones. The 33 atolls that make up Kiribati, occupy nearly 4,000km in the equatorial Pacific from east to west and more than 2,000km from north to south.
New Zealand is second country to welcome the New Year. New Zealand’s two main islands—North Island and South Island- are both in the same time zone.
The next country to welcome New Year 2024 will be Australia east coast (13:00 GMT), followed by Japan and South Korea (15:00 GMT). India and Sri Lanka (18:30 GMT) is up next followed by 25 countries including UK (00:00 GMT).
However, the latecomers to the party will the uninhabited Howland and Baker Island belonging to the United States. These remote specks of land in the middle of the Pacific Ocean ring in the New Year at 12:00 pm GMT.
