Happy New Year 2020: The country in which New Year is celebrated first is Oceania.
On December 31, the world welcomes the New Year when the clock strikes 12 in the night. But the country in which New Year is celebrated first is Oceania. New Year is first celebrated on the small Pacific island nations of Tonga, Samoa, and Kiribati. New Zealand follows next in celebrating the New Year, followed by Australia, Japan, and South Korea, while the last place to celebrate New Year is Bakers Island which lies in central Pacific Ocean. Here's a breakdown on who will ring in the New Year first and last, according to timeanddate.com:
On December 31 at 3:30 pm IST, Tonga Samoa and Christmas Island/ Kiribati will ring in the New Year first.
At 3:45 pm, New Year will be celebrated in Chatham Islands
At 4:30 pm, New Year will be celebrated in New Zealand
At 5:30 pm, New Year will be celebrated in parts of Russia
At 6:30 pm, New Year will be celebrated in Australia's Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Honiara
At 7 pm, New Year will be celebrated in Adelaide, Broken Hill, Ceduna
At 7:30 pm, New Year will be celebrated in Brisbane, Port Moresby, Hagatna
At 8 pm, New Year will be celebrated in Darwin, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek
At 8:30 pm, New Year will be celebrated in Japan and South Korea in Tokyo, Seoul, Pyongyang, Dili, Ngerulmud
At 9:30 pm, New Year will be celebrated in China and Phillipines
At 10:30 pm, New Year will be celebrated in Indonesia and Thailand
At 11 pm, New Year will be celebrated in Myanmar
At 11:30 pm, New Year will be celebrated in Bangladesh
At 11:45 pm, New Year will be celebrated in Nepal's Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar, Dharan
At 12:00 am, New Year will be celebrated in India and Sri lanka
At 12:30 am, January 1 IST New Year will be celebrated in Pakistan
At 1 am, New Year will be celebrated in Afghanistan
This will be followed by Azerbaijan, Iran, Moscow, Greece and Germany
At 5:30 am IST, January 1, United Kingdom will welcome the New Year
This will be followed by Brazil and Newfoundland
From 9:30 am to 1:30 pm Indian time, Canada and followed by USA will ring in the New Year
This will be followed by Marquesas Islands, American Samoa and in the end, at 5:50 pm Indian Time, outlying Island - Baker Island would ring in the New Year!
Happy New Year 2020!