Kiritimati: The World's First to Ring in New Year!

• Kiritimati, also known as Christmas Island, is the first place globally to celebrate the New Year.
• Located in the Pacific Ocean, south of Hawaii and northeast of Australia, it's hours ahead of the rest of the world.
• The island falls into the UTC+14 time zone, the furthest ahead, causing it to celebrate New Year a full day earlier.
• Its unique time zone is due to Earth's rotation and the division of time zones based on longitude.
• Kiritimati gained independence from Britain in 1979 and has a population of about 116,000.

Why It Matters: Kiritimati, in the UTC+14 time zone, is the first place globally to welcome the New Year.