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The 1884 conference also failed to create a system of nomenclature for the defined time zones. This is not surprising from a political perspective, because time zones, by definition, span the entire globe from pole to pole, and thus include portions of several nations. |
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As a result, few time zones actually have internationally accepted names. Those that do are: |
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Central European (or Middle European) |
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Likewise, certain abbreviations for these zones have passed into general usage, but no internationally accepted system of abbreviations has ever been implemented. Abbreviations in current use are: |
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Central European Time (or Middle European Time, MET) |
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Even these standards, however, are not observed in international practice, because different languages define different names and different abbreviations for the various zones. An agreement that CST means Central Standard Time in any language (with a Roman alphabet), for example, would have obvious practical benefits. The number of names and abbreviations is so large, and the need for a standard so great, that many organizations resort to using GMT or Zulu time, simply to have a common time base with an accepted nomenclature. |
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B.4.4
Time Zones and SCDTL |
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I have, therefore, defined a set of time zones that describe current usage. I have also defined a set of names and abbreviations for the zones. |
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