Kiritimati is often among the first inhabited places to celebrate a new year because it uses UTC+14.
Kiritimati, also known as Christmas Island, is part of Kiribati in the central Pacific Ocean. Its position on the eastern side of the International Date Line, together with Kiribati's time-zone arrangement, places it in the world's most advanced civil time zone, UTC+14.
As a result, midnight arrives there before it arrives in most other inhabited locations. News reports commonly describe Kiritimati as one of the first places to welcome the new year, although the exact wording can depend on how “first” and “inhabited place” are defined.
Kiritimati should not be confused with Australia's Christmas Island, which is in the Indian Ocean and uses a different time zone. The two islands share an English name but are geographically and politically separate.