GMT+7 is one of many different time zones. There aren’t a huge number of countries in it either. So, which countries are in the GMT+7 time zone?
Several countries are in the GMT+7 time zone. This includes parts of Russia, Mongolia, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Small parts of Australia, Antarctica, and Asia also operate in the GMT+7 time zone.
In this post, we want to give you more information about the countries that operate in GMT+7. We also want to tell you about some of the countries that technically are in this time zone, but they operate in another.
Which Countries Are In The GMT+7 Time Zone?
Let’s start by going through each of the countries in GMT+7. Do bear in mind that, for many of these countries, only a fraction of them will be in GMT+7. We will do our best to indicate which parts of the countries sit in GMT+7.
Russia
This timezone is known as Krasnoyarsk Time (KRAT).
This timezone only applies to the Siberian Federal District. Every other part of Russia operates in a different timezone.
Mongolia
Only the western side of Mongolia is on GMT+7. This means only the provinces of:
- Uvs
- Kovd
- Bayan-Olgii
Cambodia
All of Cambodia is in GMT+7.
Indonesia
Just the western part of Indonesia is in GMT+7. This includes:
- Sumatra
- Islands surrounding Sumatra
- Java
- Some parts of Kalimantan
Laos
All of Laos is in GMT+7
Thailand
All of Thailand.
Vietnam
All of Vietnam.
Australia
Christmas Island is the only place in Australia that operates in GMT+7. Incidentally, Christmas Island is much closer to Indonesia than it is to Australia. In fact, it is just a few KM away from Java.
Antarctica
Antarctica is one of only a few places on Earth to have multiple ‘odd’ time zones.
The only place in Antarctica that uses GMT+7 is the Australian research base; Davis Station.
Interestingly, GMT+0 is also used in Antarctica.
This isn’t really because Antarctica falls in multiple time zones (even though it does). It is more because it isn’t a real country, and thus each of the research bases on the continent has selected its own time zone which, in many cases, corresponds with its own home time zone. Although, this isn’t something that applies to the Australian base.
Do Countries in GMT+7 Use Daylight Saving Time?
None of the countries in the GMT+7 time zone will use DST.
This is because many of them are either close to the equator and thus have no need to have DST or, in many cases, it is because the country does not want to use DST as a whole.
This means that every single place in the GMT+7 time zone will operate on GMT+7 throughout the year.
It is unlikely any country in GMT+7 will ever opt for DST.
Are There Countries In The GMT+7 Longitude That Use Other Time Zones?
Yes.
As you may know, the world is split up into various time zones. All of these are based on GMT+0, which crosses through the United Kingdom. The world is split up into 24 regions, which means 24 time zones, each corresponding to a + or – from the original GMT.
This means that there are some countries that fall within the GMT+7 time zone but don’t actually use GMT+7.
There are many reasons why countries may not use the official time zone that they are located in. However, most of the time, it is because the rest of their country (or nearby countries) are in different time zones, and, for convenience, it is just better to have everybody operating at the same time.
So, these countries could technically have parts of them in GMT+7, but they have opted not to do so:
- China
- Myanmar
- Malaysia
- Singapore
Interestingly, while Siberia, in Russia, is in GMT+7, there are many parts of Russia that could be in GMT+7 but have opted not to do so. Again, this is likely because they are close to areas in different time zones, and it is much more convenient to be in the same time zone. Siberia can get away with being in GMT+7 as it is sparsely populated, and thus it impacts very few people.
Which Countries Used To Have GMT+7?
It isn’t uncommon for countries to move out of time zones for political reasons. This hasn’t happened that frequently in the GMT+7 time zone, perhaps because there aren’t really a huge number of countries that have operated within the time zone.
There are three exceptions to this rule.
From the late 1800s to the 1940s, the center of China operated on GMT+7. Back then, it was known as Kansu-Szechwan time. When the Chinese Communist Party took over the country, they opted to have all of China in the same time zone.
Malaysia and Singapore also used to be in GMT+7, but they opted to ditch the time zones by the 1930s. They were mostly in that time zone when they were under British control and, as they gained more independence, they opted to come up with time zones that would have put them in line with the surrounding areas.
At the moment, it seems as if the GMT+7 time zone is fairly set in stone. This means that we can’t imagine that there will be any countries moving in or out of the time zone in the near future.
Final Thoughts
There are several countries that operate in the GMT+7 time zone. All of these are located in North, East, and Southeast Asia.
Do bear in mind that because a country may appear to be in the GMT+7 region on a map, it does not necessarily mean that they are. For example, a good chunk of China should technically be in the GMT+7 region, but none of the countries operate in that time zone.
