The new year has already begun - in Kiribati Atoll
At 11 a.m. German time in Kiritimati, the approximately 7300 inhabitants will welcome the year 2024, followed by Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand. American Samoa, which lies just 220 kilometers east of Samoa, will be the last country to ring in 2024.
On an atoll in the South Pacific, 2024 has already begun. The approximately 7300 inhabitants of Kiritimati, which is part of the Kiribati archipelago, were the first in the world to welcome in the New Year at 11 a.m. German time. The island republic of Kiribati, which has several time zones, stretches along the equator in the middle of the South Pacific.
The Chatham Islands, which belong to New Zealand, follow just 15 minutes later. They lie around 800 kilometers east of New Zealand and have their own time zone - only around 700 inhabitants live on two of the archipelago's ten islands.
One hour after Kiritimati, New Zealand and the island states of Samoa and Tonga started 2024. Elaborate fireworks displays were planned on Samoa's largest island and in the capital Apia on the island of Upolu, which lit up the sky over Polynesia at midnight on the dot.
In New Zealand, the landmarks of the largest city, Auckland, are the focus of elaborate fireworks displays - above all the 328-metre-high Sky Tower. From the 55th, 61st and 64th floors of the observation and telecommunications tower, 500 kilograms of pyrotechnics are shot into the sky. There was also a laser and animation show; the spectacle was reportedly six months in the making. In Australia, the New Year was also welcomed with a spectacular fireworks display.
American Samoa, which lies just 220 kilometers east of Samoa on the other side of the International Date Line, will be the last country to ring in the year 2024 - twelve hours after Germany.
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In contrast to American Samoa, which celebrates New Year's Eve twelve hours later than Germany due to its location on the other side of the International Date Line, neighboring Samoa, Tonga, and New Zealand all welcome in the turn of the year at the same hour as Kiritimati, Kiribati's largest atoll. The South Pacific nation of Kiribati, where 2024 has already begun, is home to several time zones and stretches along the equator, with Kiritimati being its first inhabited area to greet the new year.
Source: www.ntv.de
