Planet Earth, thanks to its spherical shape, receives the sun's rays unequally along its length. Thus, while in some places it is daytime, in others it is dusk, and in others it is already dawn. Faced with this issue, time zones were designed to define the criteria to be used for measuring hours in different parts of the world.
In this way, the planet was divided into 24 time zones, each of which corresponds to a difference of one hour. Such definition took into account the fact that the Earth takes just 24 hours to complete its rotational movement, responsible for the alternation between days and nights.
Brazil, for having a large territorial dimension in the east-west direction, totaling 4,319.4 km between Ponta do Seixas (PB) and the Nascente do Rio Moa (AC), inscribes its area in four zones of zones schedules. But, as we know, even with the meridians pointing out exactly the location of these zones, it is the public power that defines the cool time country, establishing the number of demarcations and where they will be made.
Currently, then, the country is divided into four time zones, but that was not always the case. In fact, there was a change in 2008 that reduced the national territory to just three different times. However, in 2013, part of the previous establishment was taken over. Follow the changes made in the following scheme:
Map with changes in Brazilian time zones
Looking at the maps above, we notice that, at first, the time zones in Brazil were four. The first (-2GMT, that is, two hours behind the Greenwich Meridian) covered some oceanic islands, such as Fernando de Noronha. The second (-3GMT) involved most of the national territory, including the capital Brasília. The third (-4GMT) had states in the Midwest and North, including the western portion of Pará. The last one (-5GMT) covered only a small part of Amazonas and Acre.
In 2008, however, in a bill sanctioned by then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the -5GMT time zone was extinguished, with its respective region integrating, from then on, the -4GMT. In addition, the entire state of Pará became part of a single time zone: -3GMT
However, in 2010, a referendum was held for the population of Acre and part of Amazonas. It was decided to restore the old time. As a result, the -5GMT zone was resumed, but Pará was still fully part of the -3GMT zone.
Because of this difference, the state of Acre, for example, is two hours behind Brasília, a difference that increases to three hours during daylight saving time, when the Brazilian capital, along with some states, advances its time by a hour.
By Rodolfo Alves Pena
Graduated in Geography
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/brasil/afinal-quantos-fusos-tem-brasil.htm
