America/Jamaica

Time zone identifier: America/Jamaica

Current civil offset: -05:00 (EST)

Current DST state: Observing Standard Time

First standard time adoption: Adopted on 1890-01-01

Local Mean Time (LMT): -05:07:10 based on geographic meridian

Total recorded transitions: 22 transitions across 3 distinct offsets

Associated countries: JM

Aliases (Link targets): Jamaica

Historical Offset Step Chart (1880 to Present)

Text summary: America/Jamaica shifted between 3 distinct offsets from 1890-01-01 through the modern era.

Complete Transition History (22 Transitions)

UTC Instant	Local Wall Time	Shift	Abbreviation	DST	Effect
`1890-01-01T05:07:10Z`	`1890-01-01 00:00:00`	-05:07:10 → -05:07:10	`KMT`	No	offset-only
`1912-02-01T05:07:10Z`	`1912-02-01 00:07:10`	-05:07:10 → -05:00	`EST`	No	gap
`1974-01-06T07:00:00Z`	`1974-01-06 03:00:00`	-05:00 → -04:00	`EDT`	Yes	gap
`1974-10-27T06:00:00Z`	`1974-10-27 01:00:00`	-04:00 → -05:00	`EST`	No	overlap
`1975-02-23T07:00:00Z`	`1975-02-23 03:00:00`	-05:00 → -04:00	`EDT`	Yes	gap
`1975-10-26T06:00:00Z`	`1975-10-26 01:00:00`	-04:00 → -05:00	`EST`	No	overlap
`1976-04-25T07:00:00Z`	`1976-04-25 03:00:00`	-05:00 → -04:00	`EDT`	Yes	gap
`1976-10-31T06:00:00Z`	`1976-10-31 01:00:00`	-04:00 → -05:00	`EST`	No	overlap
`1977-04-24T07:00:00Z`	`1977-04-24 03:00:00`	-05:00 → -04:00	`EDT`	Yes	gap
`1977-10-30T06:00:00Z`	`1977-10-30 01:00:00`	-04:00 → -05:00	`EST`	No	overlap
`1978-04-30T07:00:00Z`	`1978-04-30 03:00:00`	-05:00 → -04:00	`EDT`	Yes	gap
`1978-10-29T06:00:00Z`	`1978-10-29 01:00:00`	-04:00 → -05:00	`EST`	No	overlap
`1979-04-29T07:00:00Z`	`1979-04-29 03:00:00`	-05:00 → -04:00	`EDT`	Yes	gap
`1979-10-28T06:00:00Z`	`1979-10-28 01:00:00`	-04:00 → -05:00	`EST`	No	overlap
`1980-04-27T07:00:00Z`	`1980-04-27 03:00:00`	-05:00 → -04:00	`EDT`	Yes	gap
`1980-10-26T06:00:00Z`	`1980-10-26 01:00:00`	-04:00 → -05:00	`EST`	No	overlap
`1981-04-26T07:00:00Z`	`1981-04-26 03:00:00`	-05:00 → -04:00	`EDT`	Yes	gap
`1981-10-25T06:00:00Z`	`1981-10-25 01:00:00`	-04:00 → -05:00	`EST`	No	overlap
`1982-04-25T07:00:00Z`	`1982-04-25 03:00:00`	-05:00 → -04:00	`EDT`	Yes	gap
`1982-10-31T06:00:00Z`	`1982-10-31 01:00:00`	-04:00 → -05:00	`EST`	No	overlap
`1983-04-24T07:00:00Z`	`1983-04-24 03:00:00`	-05:00 → -04:00	`EDT`	Yes	gap
`1983-10-30T06:00:00Z`	`1983-10-30 01:00:00`	-04:00 → -05:00	`EST`	No	overlap

Notes from the Maintainers

Source: northamerica (Lines 3702 to 3721)

Great Swan I ceded by US to Honduras in 1972

Jamaica
Shanks & Pottenger give -5:07:12, but Milne records -5:07:10.41 from an
unspecified official document, and says "This time is used throughout the
island".  Go with Milne.

Shanks & Pottenger give April 28 for the 1974 spring-forward transition, but
Lance Neita writes that Prime Minister Michael Manley decreed it January 5.
Assume Neita meant Jan 6 02:00, the same as the US.  Neita also writes that
Manley's supporters associated this act with Manley's nickname "Joshua"
(recall that in the Bible the sun stood still at Joshua's request),
and with the Rod of Correction which Manley said he had received from
Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia.  See:
Neita L. The politician in all of us. Jamaica Observer 2014-09-20
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/The-politician-in-all-of-us_17573647

Zone	NAME		STDOFF	RULES	FORMAT	[UNTIL]
STDOFF	-5:07:10.41

Years on Record

Methodology Note: The 1970 Rule

tzdb guarantees accuracy for timestamps from 1970 onwards. Transitions prior to 1970 represent best-effort historical reconstructions.