Discrepancies between use of UTC+00:00 as standard time rather than local solar time
Since legal, political, social and economic criteria, in addition to physical or geographical criteria, are used in the drawing of time zones, actual time zones do not precisely adhere to meridian lines. The UTC+00:00 time zone, were it determined purely by
longitude, would consist of the area between meridians 7°30′W and 7°30′E. However, in much of Western and Central Europe, despite lying between those two meridians, UTC+01:00 is used; similarly, there are European areas that use UTC, even though their physical time zone is
UTC−01:00 (e.g. most of Portugal), or
UTC−02:00 (the westernmost part of Iceland). Because the UTC+00:00 time zone in Europe is at its western edge,
Lowestoft in the United Kingdom, at only 1°45′E, is the easternmost settlement in Europe in which UTC+00:00 is applied.
Countries and areas west of 22°30′W ("physical" UTC−02:00) that use UTC+00:00 • The westernmost part of Iceland, including the northwest
peninsula (the Westfjords) and its main town of
Ísafjörður, which is west of 22°30′W, uses UTC+00:00.
Bjargtangar, Iceland is the westernmost point in which UTC is applied.
Countries and areas west of 7°30′W ("physical" UTC−01:00) that use UTC+00:00 In Europe •
Canary Islands (Spain) • Most of Portugal, including
Lisbon,
Porto,
Braga,
Aveiro, and
Coimbra. (Only the easternmost part, including cities such as
Bragança and
Guarda, lies east of 7°30′W.)
Madeira, at 17°W even further west, also employs UTC+00:00. • The western half of Ireland, including the cities of
Cork,
Limerick, and
Galway • Westernmost tip of
Northern Ireland, including the county town of
County Fermanagh,
Enniskillen • Extreme westerly portion of the
Outer Hebrides, in the west of
Scotland; for instance,
Vatersay, an inhabited island and the westernmost settlement of
Great Britain, lies at 7°54′W. If
uninhabited islands or rocks are taken into account
St Kilda, west of the Outer Hebrides, at 8°58′W, and
Rockall, at 13°41′W, should be included. • Westernmost island of the
Faroe Islands (autonomous region of Denmark),
Mykines • Most of Iceland, including
Reykjavík • Northeastern part of
Greenland, including
Danmarkshavn In Africa • Liberia • Sierra Leone • Guinea • Guinea-Bissau • Senegal • The Gambia • Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
(disputed territory) • Most of Mauritania • Southwesternmost part of Mali • The very westernmost part of Ivory Coast (0°) in Spain. ==Countries that use UTC+01:00 as the basis for standard time although local solar time would suggest UTC+00:00==