IANA tz database · zone identifier

Pacific/Tarawa

The IANA tz database identifier for Gilbert Islands Time in Kiribati. Store this string — not the abbreviation, not the offset — and your timestamps stay correct forever.

UTC+12:00Abbreviation +12No DST — never observed
Time in Pacific/Tarawa☀ Daylight
10:58:37
Thursday, July 16, 2026
Offset
UTC+12:00
Abbreviation
+12
DST
No DST

Current offset

UTC+12:00

same year-round

Abbreviation

+12

tzdb uses numeric abbreviations here

DST behaviour

Never

has never observed daylight saving

Country

🇰🇮 Kiribati

ISO 3166: KI · view country page →

Using this identifier

The string to put in your code.

Pacific/Tarawa is the identifier to use in code and config for this region. Every modern language, database, and OS resolves it through the same tz database, so the examples here behave identically everywhere.

Avoid storing +12 or +12:00 — abbreviations are ambiguous and fixed offsets can't follow rule changes.

// format a date in this zone
new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en-US', {
timeZone: 'Pacific/Tarawa',
dateStyle: 'full', timeStyle: 'long'
}).format(new Date());

Offset & DST behaviour

One offset,
125 years.

Pacific/Tarawa has kept UTC+12:00 year-round since 1 January 1901 — no daylight saving and no offset changes on record since. It is among the most stable identifiers in the database.

Every offset this zone has kept

+11:32:00UTC+12:00 · UNCHANGED 1 January 1901 NOW

Keeping this offset since

1 January 1901

Next transition

None scheduled

no DST rules exist for this zone

Safe to assume

Local = UTC + 12h, always

…but store the identifier anyway

Technical record

The database entry, in full.

source: IANA tz database

IdentifierPacific/Tarawa
ISO country codeKI🇰🇮 Kiribati
Reference coordinates1.42°N, 173.00°Etz database reference point
Standard offsetUTC+12:00abbreviation +12
Daylight offset—daylight saving has never been observed

Where it applies

One of Kiribati's 3 zones.

Looking for travel-friendly info? See South Tarawa or Gilbert Islands Time.

🇰🇮
Kiribati

135K people, 3 time zones — this identifier covers one of them.

Country page →
🇰🇮 South Tarawa
10:58
10:58:37 · +12
pop. 70KGIT

Related identifiers

Nearby in the database.

Same offset · UTC+12:00

other zones keeping this offset right now

Frequently asked questions

Answers specific to this identifier — generated from the database record. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].

What UTC offset is Pacific/Tarawa?
Pacific/Tarawa is UTC+12:00, year-round. The offset never changes because the zone does not observe daylight saving time.
Does Pacific/Tarawa observe daylight saving time?
No. Pacific/Tarawa has never observed DST — it has kept UTC+12:00 continuously since 1 January 1901.
Which country uses Pacific/Tarawa?
Kiribati. It is one of 3 IANA zones covering the country.
Is Pacific/Tarawa the same as GIT?
Pacific/Tarawa is one of the IANA zones that keeps Gilbert Islands Time (GIT). Use Pacific/Tarawa in software — GIT is a human-friendly label, not a valid identifier.

Free · Developer API

This zone, as JSON.

Everything on this page — offset, abbreviation, DST rules, coordinates — from one endpoint, always current with the latest tzdb release.

GET /v1/timezones Live

countries, cities, convert, DST transitions coming next.

Get your free API key →
// this identifier, resolved live
GET /v1/timezones?iana=Pacific/Tarawa
{
"iana": "Pacific/Tarawa",
"utc_offset": "+12:00",
"abbreviation": "+12",
"observes_dst": false,
"country": "KI"
}