Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, uses the UTC+14 time zone when it is among the first inhabited places to enter a new year.
Kiritimati is an atoll in the Pacific Ocean and part of Kiribati. It lies in the Line Islands, which use Line Islands Time, designated UTC+14. Because the International Date Line bends around national and geographic considerations, the island can be on the calendar's next day while places only a short distance to the east remain on the previous date.
Kiribati moved the date line for its eastern islands in 1994, bringing the country's island groups onto the same calendar day. The change helped coordinate national administration and made the Line Islands among the first locations to reach each new date.
“First” claims need careful wording. Kiritimati is one of the first inhabited places to reach January 1, not necessarily the first land in every geographic definition. Nearby islands, observation points, and changing political descriptions can affect how lists are phrased.
UTC+14 is 14 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time, but local celebrations still depend on local customs, weather, transport, and whether residents gather publicly.