Grade 12 Tourism - Off to a Good Start 2021
Content topic 2021: Time zones
What the leaner needs to know in this topic
World time zones:
Concepts: Time zone, UTC, Greenwich, hemispheres,
equator and seasons, standard time, local time, the
international date line, the 24-hour clock (00:00– 23:59),
Map work
latitude, longitude
and tour
Introduction to a world time zone map
planning
Concept: Daylight saving time (DST). Reasons for this
practice
The impact of time zones and daylight saving on travel
planning and travelling
Lesson 1
Content
Concepts
Time zones
Time zones divide the world by 24 lines of longitude/ zones. Time zones are indicated as
imaginary lines that run from north to south down the globe.
These lines are 15˚ wide (360 ˚ ÷ 24). Every line represents an hour.
Example: If the time is 8:00 in one place in the 15˚ E
time zone the time at the 30˚ will be 9:00 (8:00+1 hour= 9:00.
Each grid line is the co-ordinate of a longitude line.
Greenwich
There is a 0 ˚ longitude line that runs through Greenwich (town in England).
This line divides the Earth into the Western and Eastern Hemispheres.
It is also called the Prime Meridian.
The earth rotates on an axis around the sun.
It moves 15 ˚ every hour. So that means that in 24 hours it has
moves 360 ˚ We start to calculate this at the Prime Meridian.
UTC
Universal Time Coordinate (Greenwich Mean Time) is based on the local standard time calculated
from the 0 ˚ longitude line that runs through the Greenwich in England.
It is based on electronic/ atomic time
Hemisphere
The equator divides the earth into North and South Hemispheres.
The Greenwich meridian divides the earth into another Hemispheres West and East.
Equator and seasons
Equator- on the 0˚ latitude line (opposite of longitude) and divides the Earth into the Northern and
Southern Hemisphere.
Seasons: Winter, Summer, Autumn and Spring. If it is Winter in the Southern Hemisphere, it is
Summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
Earth turns anti-clockwise
Standard time
Each country follows a standard time that is universally accepted.
South Africa has decided to take the 30˚ East line of longitude, this means we are two hours ahead
of the UTC and is on the +2 zone on the time zone map.
South Africa +2 30˚ East
Local time
This refers to a time at a specific given place.
This time is based on the time when the sun is directly overhead.
International Date Line (IDL)
The IDL is an imaginary line on the earth’s surface at 180 ˚ longitude.
If you cross this line to the East of the IDL you go back a day. If you
cross this line to the West of the IDL you go forward a day.
24-hour clock
To avoid mixing up morning and afternoon time we do not use am (before midday) and pm (after
midday anymore) Example 2:00 pm is replaced with 14h00
If you are unsure how to change this just add 12 hours to the time
after 12 middays. Example 2:00 pm +12 =14:00
When we calculate time zones, we only use the 24-hour clock.
Latitude
These are lines that go from the North Pole to the South Pole and divide
the earth into 360 degrees. These lines are what time zones are
based on.
Time zones were based on Greenwich Mean Time
Longitude
These lines run from the North to the South.
Activity 1
Choose words from the word bank below and complete the following paragraph.
Word bank Prime Equator Greenwich line Longitude Degrees
meridian
South North Latitude Vertically Tropic of West
cancer
Horizontally Tropic of West East Ahead east
Capricorn
The earth is divided by lines of _________ and ________, running from ______ to _______ and
_______ to ______. The lines of longitude divide the earth _______ and the lines of latitude divide the
earth ________. These imaginary lines also divide the earth into _______. The line at 0º latitude is
known as the _______ and the line at 0º longitude is known as the _______ or the _______. North of
the equator on the 23º line of latitude is the ______ and south of the equator on the 23º line is the
_______. The sun comes up in the ______ and sets in the _____. Therefore, countries that lie to the
east of the International Date Line are one day ______ of those countries in the west.
(18)
Lesson 2
Content
Introduction to time zones map
Time zone line
Remember:
Time Zone maps are not like geographical maps; they only show the time.
For example, China runs
over a lot of longitude
lines but they only take
their time from the UTC +8
Some countries have different time zone, and some have decimals in their time:
Example: Australia has three
different time zones.
Australia uses a decimal
9.5 and it shows 30 minutes
to the time.
Let’s recap. Label A and B and give a short definition
Time zones map is used to calculate time differences between places.
Activity 2
Use the time zone map on the previous page or the one provided by the teacher to answer the following
questions:
1. Identify the time zone of the following countries:
Moscow
Dallas
Perth (3)
2. Complete the table below:
City Country Time zone Behind or ahead of GMT?
Johannesburg (1) (1) (1)
Sydney Australia (1) (1)
Christchurch (1) (1) (1)
Cairo Egypt (1) (1)
New York City (1) (1) (1)
Rio de Janeiro (1) (1) (1)
(16)
3. Give a reason why understanding time zone so important for someone who works in the tourism
industry. (2)
[21]
Lesson 3
Content
Daylight savings time and the reason for this practice.
In winter the days are shorter than in summer.
These differences are bigger the further you get from the equator.
This means that some countries have very short days in winter and very long days in summer.
Thus, the use of daylight savings time is used to make better use of daylight.
For example: In South Africa, Cape Town is the furthest point from the equator, and you see the
biggest differences in the length of days between winter and summer. In the middle of summer in
Cape Town, it is still light at 20:00
Because of daylight saving in summer, the times shown on the time zone map change for some
countries at different times of the year
Daylight saving is the time during which clocks are set one hour ahead of local standard time.
For example, the difference on the time zone map between London and South Africa is two hours.
But in the British summer (South Africa's winter), when the British change their clocks, the difference
becomes one hour.
The reason for daylight savings time
Make better use of daylight
People can have more done in the evenings as there are more light
Saves energy – less electricity is used for lighting
Less traffic accidents occur – more light means, more visibility
Can prevent crime, because people do their activities during the light time and not in the night
Less pollution – fewer fossil fuels utilized
Health – time for recreation
Induces shopping, participating outdoors
School – more activities
The tourist industry can get a boost because they have an extra hour.
Activity 3
1. (1)
The picture below reflects summer and the variance of time in
Europe. Link the picture with the correct option:
A international date line
B Greenwich meridian
C universal global time
D daylight savings time
2. State TWO advantages of Daylight-Saving Time in tourism (2)
3. Daylight Saving Time in Britain is better known as . . . (1)
4. Give a short definition of Daylight-Saving time. (2)
5. Give four reasons for daylight saving time (4)
[10]
Lesson 4
Content
The impact of time zones and Daylight-Saving Time on travel planning and travelling.
When we travel long distances, the times will change, and we need to know exactly when we will arrive
at our destination.
Every country has their own time, and this will influence your plans.
We must take Time Zones and Daylight-Saving Time into account because:
Accommodation, appointments, flight, and train times will change.
You need to know the business hours of your destination.
Rules and laws will change, for example in SA you cannot sell alcohol between 02:00 and 10:00
You can lose or gain a day
Climate will differ
Can lead to jetlag
Activity 4
1. Look at the following case study and answer the question that follows:
Ms Mabaso is a scientist in Cape Town, South Africa and he needs to attend a meeting in
Perth, Australia. He does not want to be late for his meeting and he needs to be back as soon
as possible for another meeting in South Africa.
1.1 List THREE of the things that a tour planner should have to take into account when planning Mr van
Zyl’s trip. (3)
Activity 5
Examine the following scenarios and answer the questions that follow.
Scenario 1
Wilna is flying from America (New York) to South Africa (OR Tambo International). She arrives
23:00. The hotel she is staying runs airport shuttle services, so she will have transport to her
hotel. However, the hotel shuttle services operating hours are from 06:00 to 22:00.
Scenario 2
Mpho Mofokeng is travelling from India to New Zealand. She is taking a flight from Dubai to
Australia, where she will take an interconnecting flight to New Zealand.
Scenario 3
Dirk is a air craft pilot of SAA; the flight from Greenland has been delayed due to poor stormy
weather conditions. Many of his passengers are attending a seminar in South Africa.
1. In each scenario, identify why it is needed to know about time zones of their destinations. (6)
2. Indicate what the impact will be on Wilna’s trip. (2)
3. New Zealand is practicing DST as Mpho is travelling during summertime. Give her TWO tips
regarding her arrival time calculation. (2)
4. Suggest One-way Wilna can solve her problem. (1)
5. State what Dirk will have to tell his South African passengers about time zones during the flight. (1)
[12]
