Nepal's Time Zone Is a Fiercely Unique One

Nepal doesn't just keep its own time—it keeps it 15 minutes off from its giant neighbor. The New York Times reports that Nepal Standard Time, established in 1986 and set five hours and 45 minutes ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and a quarter-hour ahead of India (which is 5.5 hours ahead of UTC), "is but one manifestation of how fiercely the country guards its singularity." While several other countries, including Iran and Afghanistan, opt for 30-minute offsets, Nepal is the only full country that has a 45-minute one; New Zealand's Chatham Islands and some Australian states also have 45-minute offsets.

Among its efforts to that end: its double-triangle flag is the world's only non-rectangular national flag, and in Kathmandu, it's the year 2083 on the official Bikram Sambat calendar, which shifts with celestial calculations and can stretch a month to 32 days; the start date of each calendar year is decided by a government-appointed committee of astrologers and astronomers. Multiple other calendars also coexist, and apps help Nepalis sync up various calendar dates. Read the full piece for more colorful details, or read this Nepali Times editorial, which argues that the "unscientific 15 minute time difference" be done away with.