CAT — Central Africa Time
Central Africa time (UTC+2, no DST).
CAT stands for Central Africa Time. Central Africa time (UTC+2, no DST).
CAT is UTC+02:00 from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The primary IANA zone is Africa/Harare.
CAT is used year-round without daylight saving adjustments.
Where this abbreviation is used
| Meaning | Offset | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Central Africa Time | UTC+2 | Central and Southern Africa |
| Central Alaska Time (Historical) | UTC−10 | Alaska, United States (defunct since 1983) |
Countries using this zone
- Botswana
- Burundi
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Rwanda
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Principal cities
- Khartoum
- Harare
- Lusaka
- Lubumbashi
- Kigali
- Maputo
- Windhoek
History
Central Africa Time has seen increased adoption as nations sought regional synchronization. Namibia officially adopted permanent CAT on 3 September 2017, ending its practice of seasonal clock changes. Sudan followed by switching to the offset on 1 November 2017, while South Sudan transitioned from East Africa Time to CAT on 1 February 2021 to align with its northern neighbor.
Frequently Asked Questions
CAT — Central Africa Time. Central Africa time (UTC+2, no DST).
CAT is UTC+02:00 year-round.
Countries and territories primarily using CAT include: ZM, ZW, MW, BW.
CAT is used year-round without daylight saving adjustments.
The primary IANA time zone representing CAT is Africa/Harare. Operating systems and programming libraries use this identifier to resolve local time.
Central Africa Time, abbreviated as CAT, is a time zone used across 11 nations in central and southern Africa. It maintains a constant offset of 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+2). Because it does not observe daylight saving time, it provides a stable reference for regional trade and transportation.
Central Africa Time does not use daylight saving time. Countries observing this zone maintain the UTC+2 offset throughout the entire year. This lack of seasonal adjustment is typical for tropical and equatorial regions where the duration of daylight remains relatively constant across all months, making clock changes unnecessary for energy savings.
According to the latest available data, CAT is observed in Botswana, Burundi, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It is also used in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including major hubs like Lubumbashi. This corridor ensures synchronized timekeeping across a vast African territory.
Central Africa Time (CAT) and South Africa Standard Time (SAST) are identical in their offset, as both are 2 hours ahead of UTC and neither uses daylight saving time. The names differ primarily for geographical and political identification, with CAT covering central and northern-southern regions while SAST is used by South Africa.
CAT and Eastern European Time (EET) both share a base offset of UTC+2, but they are not identical year-round. While CAT never changes, many countries using EET switch to Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+3) during their warmer months. Therefore, they only match the CAT offset during the northern hemisphere winter.