Timezone names

[Gwillim Law]

The only change in regard to the French possessions that might affect the tz database is that new ISO country codes have been issued for Saint Barthélemy (BL) and Saint Martin (MF).  Those should go into the iso3166.tab file.  The tz database has usually provided at least one time zone identifier for each country, but not always:  Bouvet Island and Heard and McDonald Islands don't have them.  Since the Saints are inhabited, it would be consistent with precedent if we added separate time zones for them.  They would probably be named America/Gustavia and America/Marigot, respectively.  Their time zones, of course, are the same as Guadeloupe's, and will probably remain the same for the foreseeable future.

Clipperton Island and all the locations in the table below are uninhabited.  That is, they have no permanent residents.  They may be inhabited for limited periods, usually by scientific expeditions.  Antarctica already has several time zones in the tz database.  The members of the expeditions probably follow one of two rules:  they keep the same time as their supply base, or they keep the same time that they would on the high seas.  In either case, there should already be a time zone identifier that will suit their purposes.

My vote would be not to create new time zones for the uninhabited places.  The tz database is complex enough already; I prefer not to add more complexity unless it's functionally required.  If you could explain what you would like to do with the time zone identifiers, supposing that they existed, we might see a need that hadn't yet been realized; or we might be able to suggest some work-around.

Gwillim Law
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Christina Lawrence 

  Recently, the 'former Guadeloupe' Islands of Saint Barthelemy and Saint Martin (northern French part) have been assigned to France.  Also 'Clipperton Island' has been assigned to France (from French Polynesia).  

  See ISO 3166-1 newsletter date 2007-09-21 no.VI-1.  

  Would these islands now require a new timezone name?



  Also, to which timezone name could one assign the following islands to?







  (note: Bassas da India has a new ISO code of 'TF' - French Southern Territories. 



  I understand that these islands are for the most part uninhabited, thus have not been assigned tz names.  Perhaps the 'etc/GMT.' names can be applied where appropriate, or perhaps no name assigned to the islands would be best.  Any thoughts?



  Sincerely,

  Christina Lawrence






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