Brazil has four standard time zones.
These zones run from UTC−02:00 to UTC−05:00. Fernando de Noronha Time applies to several Atlantic islands; Brasília Time covers most of the population and includes the capital; Amazon Time covers much of western Brazil; and Acre Time applies to Acre and part of Amazonas.
The country’s huge east-to-west width explains why multiple time zones are necessary. Brazil spans much of South America, from Atlantic islands to its far-western borderlands. Brasília Time is the national reference most commonly encountered because roughly 93% of Brazil’s population lives in that zone.
The number can be confused with Brazil’s historical arrangements or with the many entries in computer time-zone databases, which distinguish regional rules and identifiers. Brazil also used daylight saving time in various periods, most recently ending the practice in 2019, but daylight saving does not change the number of standard time zones. Acre’s zone was briefly abolished in 2008 and reinstated in 2013, restoring the current total of four.