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Russia stretches across a huge swath of the planet, yet it is not the country that touches the most time zones — scattered overseas territories can tip the balance.
France spans the most time zones of any country, not because of its European mainland but because of its scattered overseas territories. French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Réunion, French Guiana, and other far-flung possessions sit across the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Caribbean, adding up to roughly a dozen time zones under one flag.
Russia's mainland does stretch across eleven time zones from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, which is why most people guess it first, but it has no overseas territories to add further zones. The United States, likewise, spans its mainland plus Alaska and Hawaii, landing at six zones, still well short of France's total once its territories are counted.
This is a legacy of colonial-era administration: many of these territories chose to remain part of France rather than seek full independence, and they still send representatives to the French parliament.
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