Samoa moved west of the International Date Line in 2011, changing the date on which it observed New Year’s Day.
At the end of December 29, 2011, Samoa skipped December 30 and moved directly to December 31. The change shifted the country from the eastern side of the date line to the western side, aligning its calendar more closely with important trading partners such as Australia and New Zealand. Samoa had previously been nearly a day behind those countries.
The government presented the change as an economic and practical decision. Businesses could share more working days with partners across the Pacific and in Asia. The nearby territory of Tokelau made a related change at the same time, although Tokelau is not an independent country.
The switch did not mean Samoa physically crossed a line on the ocean. The International Date Line is an agreed convention that bends around political borders and island groups. Samoa’s time-zone change made it one of the first countries to celebrate New Year’s Day in the new arrangement.