Time. It has a stranglehold on our lives, and yet it appears that many of us don't have enough of it. We all have 24 hours in a day, but there are 38 time zones observed around the world that are offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and each country chooses which one it aligns with. Some are straightforward and sensible, while others are downright eccentric, working completely against expectations.

Some countries and regions adhere to unusual time zones. Many of them are in half-hour increments, as opposed to the standard hour difference. Travelers to and from areas of the world with unusual time zones may become confused or have difficulty determining the local time. Let's look at some of the strangest time zone facts for fun.

Arizona, U.S.

Arizona/ Shutterstock | Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude

Some states in the United States observe daylight savings time, but Arizona prefers to keep things simple by adhering to the Mountain time zone (UTC-7) all year. That is, of course, in addition to the Navajo Nation, a semi-autonomous Native American territory that spans several southwestern U.S. states, primarily Arizona. As a result, Navajo Nation areas of Arizona may be an hour ahead of the rest of the state.

The Hopi Reservation, which is completely surrounded by the Navajo Nation and does not observe daylight saving time, adds to the confusion. It is also not contiguous, so driving through Arizona can be perplexing due to the constant switching of time zones. There's also the case of Moenkopi (on the Hopi Reservation) and Tuba City (part of the Navajo Nation). They're essentially the same city, and crossing the street will take you an hour forward.

Gold Coast, Australia 

Gold Coast/ Shutterstock | In this time zone, there is no Daylight Saving Time in use

The Gold Coast is located in the far southeast corner of Queensland, an Australian state that does not observe DST. Its suburb of Coolangatta is adjacent to the town of Tweed Heads, and it is reasonable to say that all of these settlements are part of a single large metropolitan area. On the other hand, Tweed Heads is immediately across the border in New South Wales, which, you guessed it, observes DST.

If you enjoy the thrill of New Year's Eve celebrations, the Gold Coast is the place to be. Party in Tweed Heads before heading up to the city center to count down to midnight all over again an hour later.

Time Zones in Australia

JEFF GREENBERG/ GETTY IMAGES | Australia uses three main time zones: Australian Western Standard Time, Australian Central Standard Time, and Australian Eastern Standard Time

There are some areas of Australia that observe a non-standard time zone. The Northern Territory, a town called Broken Hill in New South Wales, and South Australia observe Australian Central Standard Time (ACST), and it has an offset of UTC + 9:30. However, during Daylight Saving South Australia and Broken Hill switch to UTC + 10:30.

Daylight Saving is not used in the Northern Territory, so they remain on the same time standard year round. Lord Howe Island uses an offset of UTC + 11 during the summer. In the winter, after Daylight Saving is over, they set the clocks back a half hour (UTC + 10:30). Eucla and nearby towns use UTC + 8:45. Norfolk Island recently changed from + 11:30, but now uses + 11:00. The Cocos Islands use UTC + 6:30.