Category: mapping

Daylight Savings Time On A Map

While it may feel like autumn leaves began falling forever ago, for the world’s Northern Hemisphere, summer just recently became a thing of the past with the conclusion of Daylight Savings Time (DST). In the United States and Canada, DST ends on the first Sunday in November, just a week after Europe says goodbye to DST, along with the many other countries that also observe the change around this time of year. Daylight Savings Time may allow us to accomplish more while the sun is up, thus helping us burn less of the midnight oil, but DST also causes a boatload of confusion twice per year. It can be a controversial topic as there are countries that avoid DST altogether, countries that religiously change their clocks twice per year, places that are planning on eschewing DST for the first time in 2019, and locations that tried implementing it long ago but then said, “No thanks, we’ll pass.”

View Daylight Savings Time by Country in a full screen map

The map above contains the Daylight Savings status of countries and places around the world, and here’s a hint: there are more countries that steer clear of DST than observe it. But if this is the case, why it was established in the first place?

Daylight Savings Time or War Time: The Background

Daylight Savings Time — also called Summer Time or Daylight Saving Time in many countries — has been in place for a while now. It officially came to be in 1918 during World War I, but the idea behind DST predates the first world war. While visiting the City of Lights (and rain, as Paris happens to be on the same latitude as Seattle) in 1784, Benjamin Franklin noticed that the folks of France were sleeping in long after the sun had risen and were closing their shutters to keep the light out. The Parisians were also staying up late into the night and wasting candles by doing so. Franklin’s solution to the wasting of perfectly good and workable daylight hours was to fire a cannon to wake everybody up at the same time. Unfortunately, that wasn’t super feasible, so Franklin died before seeing the light — so to speak — of Daylight Savings Time.

Later, other folks came to the same conclusions as Franklin, and by the time WWI began, countries were enacting DST to save fuel. Known as “war time” back then as it started and ended with each subsequent war, it later became a much more permanent part of our lives in 1966, when the U.S.’s Uniform Time Act called for war time — now “Daylight Savings Time” — to be enacted across the U.S. whether or not there was an ongoing war.

To Be on DST or Not to Be on DST: the Map Answers That Question

One hundred and six countries and other locations worldwide do not observe Daylight Savings Time at all, though 71 countries and places currently do observe it. For 64 of the 71 locations that are in the habit of changing their clocks, like the U.S. and Greece, DST has just recently come to an end. For seven DST-enacting places, though, like Australia and Brazil, their DST is just beginning, along with their summer.

However, there will soon be much less than 71 countries observing DST around the world. Of the 71 places that currently change their clocks twice per year, about 27 will join the masses that don’t in 2019. Countries within the European Union are getting rid of DST altogether, plus, four countries not considered part of the E.U. are also planning to jump on the bandwagon and eschew DST. This will leave just 40 places still observing Daylight Savings Time.

Here’s the master list of the 71 countries currently observing DST and how these E.U. changes could all play out in 2019:

  • Akrotiri and Dhekelia
  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Bahamas
  • Belgium
  • Bermuda
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Croatia
  • Cuba
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Faroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Guernsey
  • Haiti
  • Holy See
  • Hungary
  • Iran
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Jersey
  • Jordan
  • Kosovo
  • Latvia
  • Lebanon
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Morocco
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norwaynot a part of the E.U., but still getting rid of DST in 2019
  • Paraguay
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Republic of Ireland
  • Republic of Macedonia
  • Romania
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • Serbianot a part of the E.U., but still getting rid of DST in 2019
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerlandnot a part of the E.U., but still getting rid of DST in 2019
  • Syria
  • Ukrainenot a part of the E.U., but still getting rid of DST in 2019
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Western Sahara

Overall, most of Africa, Asia, Central America, and some South American countries closer to the equator have never observed Daylight Savings Time, nor has the majority of Oceania, except for New Zealand and Australia. The majority of Europe and North America currently observe DST, in addition to some Middle Eastern locations and the southernmost part of South America. However, all of this is set to change in 2019.

Why the European Union is Saying Au Revoir to DST in 2019

In September of this year, the European Commision in charge of law-making for the E.U. proposed to get rid of Daylight Savings Time. If this bill is submitted by the Commission, approved by parliament and all of the E.U.’s member states, then the very last DST time change will occur on Sunday, March 31st, 2019. In October of 2019, Europe will switch back to standard time for good. The reason for this drastic change? The opinion of the people. A survey conducted Europe-wide suggests that over 80% of those living in the E.U. want to scrap DST.

Getting rid of DST would see an end to the confusion that comes with asking folks to adjust their clocks twice per year because unless you’re looking at something like our map, you’re not always sure when and in which direction you should change your clocks. Additionally, no more DST means a decrease in car accidents around the time of the switch, since people will no longer have to adjust their energy levels to drive to work at 6 AM instead of 7 AM, and vice versa. Lastly, the lives of those working in transportation won’t have to amend schedules for the change any longer, which is great because transportation has enough issues already, like commute times. Well done, E.U.!

Ahead of the Clock

Photo by Wil Stewart on Unsplash

The European Union isn’t totally unique in its goal of removing Daylight Savings Time, nor is it the first to do so. If we count the two U.S. states that no longer observe DST, there are 69 places that had previously observed it, but no longer do.

The U.S., for example, saw both Hawaii and Arizona attempt to implement DST, but then both say “It’s not for us,” although for very different reasons. In Hawaii, DST simply isn’t necessary. Hawaii is so close to the equator that the sun is pretty consistent year-round in its rising and setting times.

Arizona, on the other hand, realized DST was doing the exact opposite for Arizonans than what it was intended to do: save energy. Arizonans actually ended up using more energy when DST extended their daylight hours because more daylight meant keeping the A.C. on for longer. After all, Arizona is known for its sizzling temperatures. Just a couple years after DST became a permanent fixture across the U.S., AZ opted out.

There are even some countries in Europe in which have beat the E.U. to the punch. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey won’t have to change a thing come 2019, as these European countries are ahead of the game — or clock — and already no longer observe DST.


Mapping Daylight Savings Time by country made it easy to visualize which parts of the world DST affects the most — and why, as it’s now clear that most places near the equator don’t implement DST, and don’t really need to. Other helpful maps that make data easier to process by providing a visual include this map of the most disastrous natural disasters in world history.

This Halloween Map Shows Where It’s Being Celebrated This Year

Though the Halloween spirit is in the air, there’s no need to be frightened if you haven’t nailed down your October 31st plans yet. There’s a map for that, with many fang-tastic events occurring near the end of October. Over 800 events to be exact, and they are happening all over the world. However, there are some cities, states, and even countries other than the United States that are creeping it more real than others when it comes to their Halloween spirit. So, grab your favorite treat or treating tots, your two boos – beaus and booze if you’re over your country’s drinking age – or your BFFs for a ghouls’ night out and check out which event on our Halloween 2018 Events map is closest to you.

View 2018 Halloween Events in a full screen map

We gathered all of the 2018 Halloween events from Eventful between October 30 and November 1, along with some spook-tacular stragglers – like the Golden Girls LIVE: On Stageǃ The “Lost” Halloween Episode, which starts running on September 12th – here and there. If your city, state, or country isn’t showing a whole lot of ghostly gatherings, don’t fret. There are some locations around the world that didn’t make the map because we don’t have their event data.

The Cities With the Most Halloween Events Are Sippin’ Cider All Month Long

  • — New York City
  • — Los Angeles
  • — Minneapolis

Currently, the city doing the most in time for Halloween is New York City with its 66 holiday events. This shouldn’t spook you too much, as N.Y.C. is the most populous city in the United States. The city also hosts the annual Village Halloween Parade, where nearly 50,000 folks in costumes parade up Sixth Avenue. And as usual, when N.Y.C. is on the top of a list, L.A. is never far behind — like with the highest commute times. With 32 events, L.A. has the second-most going on. Third on our list is Minneapolis, where 14 different Halloween-themed events will be put on.

The top three cities with the most Halloween celebrations are located in the U.S. However, just because Halloween is most popular in the U.S., doesn’t mean Americans created the holiday. Halloween can be traced back to the Irish during the 19th century Great Irish Famine. They brought their holiday with them to the U.S. So, thanks to the Irish, we now have all of the annual Halloween events we’ve come to know and love.

Superstitious States in the Halloween Spirit

Forty-four U.S. states and the District of Columbia are holding at least one Halloween event this year. However, five states in particular are really turning up their Halloween spirit (at least on Eventful). The following states each have 24 or more events this Halloween.

  1. California
  2. New York
  3. Texas
  4. Florida
  5. Minnesota

Even though New York City had Los Angeles beat when it came to the cities playing Halloween hostess with the mostest, state-wise, California has 118 Halloween-themed events to New York’s 87 events. A little over 27% of those Golden State events are accounted for by Los Angeles, whereas just under 76% of New York’s events occur in The Big Apple. As for Texas, the state has 34 events on the calendar for Halloween-time, while Florida and Minnesota have 28 events and 24 events, respectively.

The six states without any Halloween events on the books in Eventful? Alaska, Delaware, North and South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Candy-Collecting Countries

Photo by rawpixel

Unlike Valentine’s Day celebrations, Halloween isn’t observed as enthusiastically all around the world as it in the U.S. However, these four countries have over ten celebratory events in honor of the holiday:

  • The United Kingdom
  • Germany
  • Canada
  • Australia

We learned here that “Halloween” can actually be accredited to the U.K., along with the idea of trick or treating, which may be why the U.K. has 160 different Halloween-themed events on our map, the most of any country other than the U.S. The term “Halloween” goes all the way back to 16th century Scotland, where it was first used as a shorter name for “All-Hallows-Eve.” As for trick or treating, this Halloween tradition comes from England. Long ago, Halloween was celebrated with “soul cakes” in England. These cakes were eaten while people prayed for the souls of the dead. Later called “souling,” children would go door to door saying prayers in exchange for delicious cakes.

The holiday didn’t gain popularity in Germany, the country with the second most Halloween-related events, until the 1990s. However, since then, its popularity has been steadily increasing, and this year, Germany has 47 events celebrating Halloween. This increase in popularity is mostly due to American influence, especially around the areas that were a part of the American zone during the Cold War. However, not every German is happy about their new holiday. Many elderly German folks do not like Halloween tricks and are unfamiliar with the idea of trick or treating.

As for the U.S.’s neighbor to the North, Halloween events in Canada are almost as popular as they are in Germany. This year, Canada has 36 celebrations in our dataset pertaining to the holiday. The popularity of the holiday in Canada is largely due to 19th-century Scottish emigration. Nowadays, Canadians spend more money on candy for Halloween than for any other time of year other than Christmas. Although, to balance out the increase in consumerism in October, Canadians also view Halloween as a time for charitable donations, even during trick or treating.

Australia, surprisingly, is home to 14 Halloween-themed events in our 2018 data, in spite of the fact that it is currently spring in the Land Down Under. Like Germany, Australia’s familiarity with the holiday stems largely from American influence, and also like Germany, not all of Australia is happy about it. Due to resentment of American influence, Australians have taken to putting balloons or other decorations on their mailboxes in order to indicate that they partake in the American holiday. No balloon, no candy.

Find the Spook-tacular Event Nearest You

If you’re curious about which Hallo-Wine Party, Monster Mash, or other 2018 Halloween celebration is closest to you, just check out the search box in the map.

For example, let’s say you live in one of these frightening places in the U.S., like Trickem, or Treat. Just type your city into the search box and hit enter. You can also search using your ZIP code or full address.

For those of you who live in Trickem, Alabama, you’ll discover through the search that the closest 2018 Halloween event is a 4-day Halloween camp in Montgomery and that it’s only about a half hour away. Residents of Treat, Georgia will find their closest event is a Halloween Riding Ghost Tour in Cave Spring, also just around 30 minutes away. Trickem or Treat, your Halloween fun awaits!

You can also narrow your search by the specific type – or types – of event(s) you’re hoping to attend. Filter the map first by type, and then search for your city, postal code, or address. Your results will include only the types of events you want to attend.


Now that we know where in the world Halloween is celebrated the most, we can pick which 2018 Halloween event we’ll be attending. You can make a map like this of all of the seasonal events going on in your city, state, or country, or, since the holidays are fast-approaching, you can even easily make a map of your holiday cards list.

Map Your Highlights from Hiking, Geocaching, or Walking Around Your Neighborhood

In a typical day or week, you probably go a lot of places. You might commute to work, take kids to school, go grocery shopping, or have a nice dinner out. If the weather is nice, you can explore a park, go on a hike, or meander about your neighborhood. It might be interesting to see all these locations on a map, which is easier than you’d expect.

View Neighborhood Map Without Addresses in a full screen map

Armed with the addresses, you can make map of your favorite places. But what about when you don’t have the addresses, or don’t want to spend a bunch of time doing data entry?

Chances are you have access to your precise location in the form of latitude and longitude coordinates. This pair of numbers is used by GPS to determine a point on earth, and we can use it to quickly make maps.

Get Latitude and Longitude from Your Phone

More than two-thirds of the United States population own a smart phone. Chances are pretty good if you’re reading this that you have a way to access at least one GPS-enabled device. At any moment, you have access to your precise location. Have you ever opened up your map app and seen the blue dot showing where you are? That’s coming through your GPS and you can directly access the coordinates to use later.

For example, Apple’s iPhone ships with an app called Compass. It’s the digital equivalent of the simple navigation instrument that has been used for centuries by sailors, explorers, and others interested in direction.

Unlike its ancient counterpart, Apple’s version can also tell you where you are. Just open up the compass app and you’ll see the direction you’re facing. Additionally, you’ll receive your elevation and two numbers in degree/minute/second format. Those are your coordinates, which you’ll need to convert to latitude and longitude decimals.

You may be able to get the same data from your map app. For example, in Google Maps on your phone, find your current location, then tap and hold on the blue dot. That will add a marker, which Google Maps calls a “dropped pin.” You can then get more details about this pin, which will allow you to share it. Under the share options, you can simply copy, which will give you a web address URL. When you visit that short-ish URL, it will expand to be a longer URL that includes a decimal latitude and longitude.

Any web page, with your permission, can also access your location. If you’re using a GPS-enabled device, such as a smart phone, the result will be as precise as the apps above. Laptops and desktops may only have city or neighborhood-level data, depending on what is available nearby.

Try using the where am I tool to find your location now. This will give you latitude and longitude coordinates ready for copying and pasting into your spreadsheet, which might look like this:

Once you have a list of your locations, you can easily plot latitude and longitude on a map. Just create a spreadsheet with a column for each, and copy-paste into BatchGeo. You can find instructions here or read on for some other ways to map the places you go.

Plot Your Hiking Route on a Map

There are many route-tracking apps for smart phones. You can use them to capture your hiking or running routes, for example. Often you can see a map within the app, but want to visualize it in other formats, perhaps sharing with others.

You’ll want to look for an option to export your route or tracks into GPX format. This is a text file (specifically, an XML schema) that stores data from any GPS log. If you have a Garmin or similar GPS used by hikers, you can also download the GPX file to your computer. Other formats might include KML and GML. In all these cases, you’ll find a collection of latitude and longitude coordinates (like in this sample file we used from Garmin).

To make your tracked route usable, you’ll need to export the coordinates into a list format. You can do that by diving into the XML yourself, or find a tool like this to convert to an Excel format. The result you’re looking for is a spreadsheet with separate columns for latitude and longitude, like this:

You can easily remove certain columns from your spreadsheet, such as the “track_fid,” “track_seg_id,” and “track_seg_point_id” in the above example. Then you can copy and paste the entire spreadsheet (including the headers) into our map making tool, and quickly see your entire route (called trackpoints in GPX terms) with a marker for every latitude/longitude pair in your GPX data.

View Hiking Route in a full screen map

However, you might prefer fewer markers on your maps. That’s where waypoints or POIs will come in handy. These are a feature of some GPS units or mobile location self-tracking apps. As you hike, you can add a waypoint or point of interest (POI). Later, these are shown separately from routes and tracks. That way you can plot your hike by using the highlights you note along the way.

Track Your Geocache Scores

Another way those interested in the outdoors and hiking use location is to go in search of hidden treasure. Geocaching is a game of hide and seek where latitude/longitude coordinates are shared, along with a hint to find what’s hidden. Often there will be a small container, a “cache,” filled with trinkets. Geocachers hunting for the cache will exchange a different trinket for one in the cache.

The moment of discovering a geocache can be exhilarating. Why not mark those on a map? Just use your GPS or compass app to note the latitude and longitude. Write a description of the location and any other data you’re interested in tracking. Here are some ideas:

  • Time you took to hunt for the geocache
  • Distance you hiked to get to the geocache
  • The prize you took from the geocache
  • The prize you left in the geocache
  • The name of the people who helped you search

Imagine creating a spreadsheet with several of these fields, in addition to the all-important latitude and longitude. You could even update directly from your phone using the Google Sheets or Excel Online apps. Once you have a few geocaches under your belt, why not put it on a map?

Let’s say your geocache spreadsheet looks something like this:

Latitude Longitude Time it Took to Find Distance Hiked Prize Taken Prize Left People Who Helped Me Search
38.992965 -119.94847 50 minutes 2 miles Plastic snake Sunscreen Dana and Alessia
39.002656 -119.952035 32 minutes .9 miles Guitar picks Fishing lures Alessia, Jiulina, and Katie
38.985482 -119.943522 47 minutes 6 miles Matchcars Gloves
38.955316 -119.943566 17 minutes .3 miles Off! Insect Repellant wipes Flashlight
38.997808 -119.953102 28 minutes .5 miles Headphones A puzzle Tyler
38.971188 -119.934117 34 minutes .7 miles Mixed CD Keychains Greg, Tyler
38.956203 -119.942675 39 minutes 1 mile Snow globe Rain poncho
38.985318 -119.942621 43 minutes 2.3 miles Swim goggles Golf balls
38.98399 -119.942632 4 hours .1 miles Stress ball Duct tape Mom & Dad
38.984950 -119.942728 56 minutes 2 miles Starbucks gift card!!! Flower seeds
38.986747 -119.942907 1 hour 4 miles Measuring tape Nalgene Water Bottle & Bandaids


You could simply highlight and copy it into our spreadsheet to map convertor to generate a map like this:

View Geocache Discoveries in a full screen map

Or if hiking and geocaching stuff isn’t your jam, you could make a similar map simply exploring your own neighborhood.

Map Your Neighborhood Without Knowing Addresses

We’ve previously covered making a map of your favorite places, but it required that you know the address. While cafes and coffee shops usually have addresses, not everything worth seeing does. Perhaps you have a park you love to frequent, or a specific viewpoint along a scenic drive. In these cases, direct latitude and longitude maps might make more sense!

Much the same as tracking your geocoding (described above), you can simply keep a spreadsheet of places in your neighborhood, city, or otherwise nearby. You can also include other columns in your spreadsheet that might be interesting:

  • Type or category, such as “cafe” or “playground”
  • Description so someone else will know why you like this place
  • Rating, like a number of stars, so you can share both your favorites and your almost-favorites

Include anything you’d like in your spreadsheet. Most important is to include a column for latitude and another for longitude (which you can get from your GPS or compass app on your phone). It will look something like this:

Location Latitude Longitude Type Description Rating
Round Hill Pines Beach and Marina 38.992965 -119.94847 Viewpoint The more commercialized beach, this place has rentable paddle boards, lounge chairs and umbrellas a bar, and a cafe all within walking distance – or you can get any snacks or lunch delivered right to where you’re sitting and enjoying the sun! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Zephyr Cove – North Beach 39.002656 -119.952035 Viewpoint While a bit rocky (bring shoes!) there is free parking near North Beach if you know where to look. ⭐⭐
The Bean Bar 38.985482 -119.943522 Cafe Free wifi, this is the place to be if you have a long paper or need to get some work done away from home. They have amazing coffee that is not very expensive. They use local coffee beans and they are a very organic, natural-focused place. Their Aztec hot chocolate with whipped cream is like $2.50 and oh so good. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Driftwood Cafe 38.955316 -119.943566 Cafe Even for Saturday, the wait is pretty short here. You get a lot of bang for your buck at Driftwood: bacon, eggs, pancakes all for pretty cheap, but definitely delicious. However, the best thing on the menu is the Carolina Connection. It is a MUST GET. Also, two words: cinnamon rolls. Plus, they serve breakfast all day long. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Toast 38.997808 -119.953102 Restaurant Toast is a family-owned Japanese//American restaurant with comfort food like mac and cheese, hot wings, and salmon that is to die for. They also have a full bar and the restaurant is very kid friendly! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Thai & Noodle 38.971188 -119.934117 Restaurant They have really quick seating on weekdays, which is great because the minute you enter you can smell everything cooking deliciously. However, on the weekends this place gets packed, as it is one of the few Thai restaurants in Tahoe. If you order any appetizers, you absolutely HAVE to get some egg rolls, because they give you so many. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Base Camp Pizza 38.956203 -119.942675 Restaurant What can I say, everyone needs a little bit of pizza in their life, this is the best pizza place on this side of Lake Tahoe. They even give you FREE GARLIC FRIES! They also have a pizza + beer deal, and you have the option to build your own pizza if you aren’t a fan of their options. There is also almost always live music because the owner is a huge music buff. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Harumi Sushi 38.985318 -119.942621 Restaurant No reservations needed for a couple of people, and they always seat pretty quickly. I’d recommend the caterpillar rolls or dragon rolls, they’re to die for. They also play sports on the TVs. This is my favorite secret spot a bit outside of town. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spooner Summit Viewpoint 38.98399 -119.942632 Viewpoint In the winter months, they have sledding, and from this you can pick up the Tahoe Rim Trail which goes around the entirety of Lake Tahoe and is 165 miles long. While I haven’t managed to make it around the lake just yet, this viewpoint along the scenic drive is worth seeing on its own! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Playground 38.984950 -119.942728 Playground Best place to take the kids. Sundays can get pretty busy! ⭐⭐⭐
Park 38.986747 -119.942907 Park I love to frequent this park! Comfiest benches to people-watch or read a good book. ⭐⭐⭐⭐


When you’re done, copy-paste it all into our spreadsheet mapper to build a map like this:

View Neighborhood Map Without Addresses in a full screen map

Now that you have your favorite places, you can share it with friends, or use it as a reminder when you want to return to a fun spot nearby.


Once you get to mapping places you’ve been, it may become addicting. Once all of your data is mapped, you’ll want to check out the many ways to use your maps. You’ll find visualization, grouping, and a dozen other tools for finding the meaning in your data.