Timezones in Brazil
There are three different time zones on the Brazilian mainland. A fourth time zone applies on the islands in the Atlantic Ocean.Brazil stretches from the Peruvian border in the west to the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha for more than 4600 kilometers, which is longer than the distance from Seattle to the far end of Maine. So that people at one end of the country have approximately the same light conditions as at the other end, Brazil has thus divided the country into 4 time zones.
There is no longer a distinction between daylight saving time and winter time in Brazil.
Timezones by region
| Region | UTC | Standard time | Daylight saving time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Branco | -5 | Acre Time (ACT) | discontinued 1988 |
| Boa Vista | -4 | Amazon Time (AMT) | discontinued 2000 |
| Campo Grande | -4 | Amazon Time (AMT) | discontinued 2019 |
| Manaus | -4 | Amazon Time (AMT) | discontinued 1994 |
| Porto Velho | -4 | Amazon Time (AMT) | discontinued 1988 |
| Bahia | -3 | Brasilia Time (BRT) | discontinued 2012 |
| Recife | -3 | Brasilia Time (BRT) | discontinued 2002 |
| Sao Paulo | -3 | Brasilia Time (BRT) | discontinued 2019 |
| Noronha | -2 | Fernando de Noronha Time (FNT) | discontinued 2002 |
Time zones are always indicated in their difference to the Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). In Brazil, these are the zones UTC-2 to UTC-5. The largest and best known is "Brasilia Time" with UTC-3, in which the metropolises of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and the capital Brasilia are located. By far the most Brazilians live in this region. To the west is the Amazon time zone (UTC-4), which does not extend to the far west. Near the border with Peru, there is a much smaller zone in the state of Acre with UTC-5.
A fourth time zone exists on the islands off Brazil's Atlantic coast. The time zone is officially called "Fernando de Noronha Time" (UTC-2), as this is the largest inhabited island. It is located about 360 km off the Brazilian east coast. On other, but mostly uninhabited islands like Trindade, Martim Vaz and the Rocas Atoll this time is also valid.
Within Brazil, the time zone designations mentioned here are rarely used. One simply orients oneself at the largest time zone, the Brasilia Time. From there one counts to west and east simply the hours. This results in Brasilia Time+1 on the islands and Brasília Time-1 and -2 for the western regions.
No more daylight saving time in Brazil
Brazil has long applied daylight saving time throughout the country, with the exception of the Atlantic Islands. Since 1931, people switched back and forth between standard and daylight saving time twice a year. In 1988, the regions around Rio Branco and Porto Velho made a start and gave up daylight saving time. 6 years later, the greater Manaus area followed. Gradually, other states were added until Daylight Saving Time was finally abolished on February 16, 2019.However, due to its proximity to the equator, the impact was not great anyway. The equator runs through northern Brazil and even São Paulo is only 2600 km from the equator. A midsummer day (in the southern hemisphere in December) in the capital would not last from 05:37 to 18:43 during daylight saving time, but from 06:37 to 19:43. The effect would be noticeable in the evening, but the sun rising later in the morning would fall at a time when many people are already awake anyway.
Times for sunrise and sunset in Brazil
All Countries with DST
Public holidays in Brazil 2024-2028