Is There Anywhere in the World That Doesn’t Keep Time?

If you feel like there's never enough time in the day, you might consider moving to Sommarøy. The Norwegian island community has asked the nation's parliament to make it the world's first place where time doesn't officially exist. Sommarøy lies north of the Arctic Circle, so winter days and nights are dark, while summers are enshrined in constant light. Some residents argue that such living conditions make keeping to standard time pretty irrelevant, pointing out the fact that Sommarøy's schools and stores already operate on much more flexible schedules than those in the rest of the world. Clocks and watches are shunned, and an official move to do away with time altogether could be a boost to tourism, which is already a big part of Sommarøy's economy. The townspeople signed the petition in mid-June, but now must wait to see if its time will come in parliament.

Nowhere like Norway:

  • Norway owns Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic Ocean; it is the world's most remote island, lying more than 1,200 miles (2,000 km) from the nearest inhabited place.
  • It is technically illegal to die in the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen because permafrost there keeps bodies from decomposing.
  • Norway's Lærdal Tunnel is the world's longest road tunnel, at 15.2 miles (24.5 km).
More Info: Smithsonian magazine

Discussion Comments

anon1001770

Sounds like an excellent thought. We are too tied to a clock.

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