Samoa became the first country to enter January 1 after moving its time zone west of the International Date Line in 2011.
Samoa skipped December 30, 2011, moving directly from December 29 to December 31. The change shifted the country from the eastern side of the date line to the western side, aligning its business week more closely with Australia and New Zealand, two important economic partners.
Before the change, Samoa was among the last places on Earth to begin a new calendar day. Afterward, it became one of the earliest countries to celebrate dates such as New Year's Day. The switch was a civil-time decision, not a physical movement of the International Date Line itself.
American Samoa, a separate United States territory, did not make the same change and remains on the opposite side of the date line. That distinction is why the two Samoas can be a calendar day apart.