The subject of the difference between EST and EET is a very important question that many people have. Many of them think that there is no difference at all.
But they are wrong because there is a difference between the two. They are both different from each other in various ways.
So how are they different? The main reason why people cannot differentiate between EST and EET is because they do not understand what they really mean. Many people have referred to them as only two terms that are used interchangeably. But this is not true at all. There are many different things that can be stated with the terms EST and EET.
Summary Table
| EST | EET |
| EST is more than one hour ahead of EET | EET is more than one hour later of EST |
| South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and a few parts of Europe follow EST in summer and EET for winter | South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and a few parts of Europe follow EET in winter |
| The countries that follow EST are; Canada, United States, Mexico, Central American Republics, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. | The countries that follow EET are Austria, Belgium and France |
Definitions:
In this article, we will explain the differences between EST and EET. We will also give you an explanation of what they mean and how they are different from each other. Let us get started.
What is EST and where is it used?
EST stands for Eastern Standard Time. EST is the official time zone in the U.S. which is used to indicate or reference the date, time and location of events in the United States.
EST is the official time zone in the United States. Its standard date and time is observed in almost all of the states on the east coast of the United States across all zones including New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The only exception is Maine. In Maine EST is observed from Greenland Standard Time which is two hours later than Eastern Standard Time. So, it starts at noon instead of midnight for four days each year (usually starting on the third Thursday of March and ending on the last Sunday of October). In other parts of the United States, EST is observed from daylight saving time.
What is EET and Where is it used?
EET stands for Eastern European Time. It is also referred to as Central European Time in some areas to distinguish it from Greenwich Mean Time (Greenwich being the name of a city in England). EET usually starts at midnight and runs through midnight and then continues for another 12 hours (the midnight to noon time) and then stops at 00:00. So, it is observed from Monday to Sunday (in some areas of the United States, it is observed only on weekdays).
It is widely used in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and some other countries in Europe. It is also observed in some parts of Africa (South Africa, Tanzania, Algeria, Morocco) but not across all of them. This time zone is not useful for the United States because it does not use daylight saving time or DST (Daylight Saving Time).
What are their similarities?
- Both EST and EET are named after their standard time zone which is also known as a primary meridian used for other countries in the world (like GMT for Greenwich Mean Time).
When it comes to the Eastern Standard Time and Eastern European Time, the difference is only in the time they start at (for example, EST starts at noon and EET starts at midnight) or its start and stop time (EST stops at midnight and EET continues for 12 hours).
- These time zones are observed throughout the year.
However, EST is not observed in some parts of the United States (like Hawaii and Alaska) because it does not observe daylight saving time or DST. EET is observed only on weekdays and EST is observed on both weekdays and weekends.
What are their differences?
- The timezones
When it comes to the time difference, EST is more than one hour ahead of EET. The difference between EST and EET is 6 hours. This EST time is 6 hours ahead of the EET time, and it is one hour ahead of GMT. The eastern time zone is UTC/GMT -5:00.
There are three different daylight saving time (summer time) which have a difference of 4 hours from EST to EET.
- Daylight Saving Time
There are few countries that have not adopted daylight saving time. These countries are; South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and a few parts of Europe. During the daylight saving time, these countries follow EST in summer and EET for winter. In the United States, EST is considered standard time all year round. But during the summer months (July-August) there is a difference of 2 hours between EST and EET. These differences are the same as those mentioned above.
- The countries
The countries that follow EST are; Canada, United States, Mexico, Central American Republics, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. The countries that follow EET are Austria, Belgium and France.
The following countries do not follow EST: Iceland, Norway, Portugal and Spain.
These countries are already known for their standard time which is UTC/GMT -1:00. The following countries have the same time zone as EST: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Belarus and Russia.
