These American territories are the last places on Earth to welcome the New Year

The world will say goodbye to 2024 on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Because of the way the Earth rotates, the New Year arrives at different times in different time zones.

There are 24 primary time zones on Earth, corresponding to the 24 hours in a day. This means countries will not welcome 2025 at the exact same moment.

The last region to welcome 2025

After most of the world has celebrated the coming of 2025, the last places to welcome the New Year are the U.S. territories of Baker Island and Howland Island. However, don’t expect any fireworks or parties as these two are small, uninhabited atolls in the central Pacific Ocean, just north of the equator.

The islands are managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. They’re used primarily for wildlife conservation, particularly for seabird and marine life habitats.

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According to National Geographic, the last inhabited places to ring in the new year are the islands of Niue and American Samoa.

First country to usher in 2025

Meanwhile, the people of the Republic of Kiribati, also known as Christmas Island, were the first to ring in the new year. Given the time difference, it was only 5 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 31 in the U.S. when the island nation began the year 2025.

Shortly after, Chatham Islands off the eastern coast of New Zealand welcomed the new year as well. These islands are only 15 minutes behind Kiribati.

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