Occupied Northern Cyprus to Follow Turkey Time
By Anne Buckle. Published 14-Sep-2016
Northern Cyprus will follow mainland Turkey and not set their clocks back 1 hour for Daylight Saving Time (DST), effectively creating 2 different time zones on the Mediterranean island.
The Old town of Famagusta, Cyprus.
©bigstockphoto.com/Kirill_M
Turkey has abandoned the practice of adjusting the local time to and from Daylight Saving Time (DST) for good.
The country's Council of Ministers voted to stay on DST on September 7, 2016, changing the time zone to a permanent UTC offset of plus 3 hours (UTC+3).
Occupied Territory
On September 13, 2016, the Council of Ministers in the Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus, approved a bill to keep the area on DST all year, reflecting the changes made in Turkey a week earlier.
Northern Cyprus, including the cities Famagusta and Kyrenia, is a self-declared state. The Turkish occupation is not internationally recognized.
2 Time Zones
On October 30, 2016, when Europe and the rest of Cyprus will set their clocks back 1 hour to UTC+2, Northern Cyprus will remain on UTC+3.
The time change will split Cyprus into 2 time zones, giving the island the same time during the summer, but causing a 1-hour time difference during the winter months.