Which nations will ring in the New Year 2024 first and last?

Because there are 24 main time zones in the world, different countries celebrate New Year's Day at different times.

Sunday will see exuberant gatherings say goodbye to the warmest year on record, after a turbulent year marked by catastrophic wars in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as issues with climate change and intelligent chatbots.

The old will eventually give way to the new on a planet with over eight billion people, many of whom are trying to flee the burden of outrageous living costs and global upheaval.

Over a million partygoers are expected to swarm Sydney's waterfront, which proclaims itself as the "New Year's capital of the world," despite the abnormally gloomy weather.

But which nations are the earliest and last to celebrate the New Year?

The celebrations of this year's New Year, which according to Britannica began on January 1, 153 BCE, in Rome, will start at different times in different countries because the world is divided into 24 primary time zones.

The first nation to ring in 2024 is:

According to National Geographic, Kiribati, an Oceanian nation, is the one that rings in the new year early every year.

Christmas Island, or Kiritimati Island in Kiribati, will ring in January 1, 2024, at 10:00 AM GMT (or 3:00 PM PST) on December 31, according to Pakistan Standard Time (PST).

At 11 a.m. GMT on January 1, 2024, Tonga and Samoa will celebrate the new year, followed by Australia, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.

World Atlas states that Kiribati observes New Year's Day as a public holiday, with most businesses closed and no public education or work for the general public.

During the holidays, people celebrate with family dinners, sports, camping, and island visits in addition to customary singing and dancing, church services, and gift-giving.

They use city squares, favourite bars, and low-key beach celebrations to count down to the New Year.

Local pubs and the maneaba (meeting house) offer more traditional celebrations, while guesthouses and expat bars throw the most varied events, frequently attracting tourists.

The final nation to welcome in 2024 is:

The island nations of American Samoa and Niue, which are situated in the South Pacific southwest of Kiribati, are the last inhabited places to welcome the New Year and wave adieu to 2023, each year, according to National Geographic.

In theory, Baker Island and Howland Island in the United States Minor Outlying Islands are the last to ring in the new year at 12 p.m. GMT on January 1st, or 5:00 p.m. PST if we include uninhabited area.