Central Africa Time (CAT)

UTC offset: +02:00
IANA identifiers: Africa/Maputo (reference), Africa/Harare, Africa/Lusaka, others
Abbreviation: CAT
Population: approximately 250+ million
DST observed: No

Central Africa Time covers an enormous north-south band of countries from Sudan down to Botswana and Mozambique, all permanently at UTC+02:00. No DST anywhere. The zone shares its +02:00 offset with South Africa (SAST), Egypt (EET in winter), and Eastern European Time, but CAT is specifically the designation for the central/southern African countries.

The +02:00 offset spans about 15-45 degrees east longitude in practice, which is a reasonable fit for countries centered around 25-35E. Countries at the western edge (like the western DRC) are geographically better suited to +01:00 but use +02:00 for political alignment.

Countries Using CAT

Plus parts of the DRC (eastern half uses CAT; western half uses WAT/+01:00).

No DST Anywhere

Not a single CAT country observes daylight saving. The reasons:

• Most lie between the equator and 25S, where daylight variation is modest
• Administrative simplicity in countries with limited infrastructure
• No demonstrated energy benefit
• Historical colonial-era time settings have simply persisted

Major Cities

• Khartoum (~6 million metro): Sudan's capital at the Nile confluence
• Harare (~2.9 million metro): Zimbabwe's capital, at 1,500 m elevation
• Lusaka (~3 million): Zambia's capital, growing rapidly
• Maputo (~2 million): Mozambique's capital on the Indian Ocean
• Kigali (~1.7 million): Rwanda's capital, one of Africa's cleanest cities
• Gaborone (~400,000): Botswana's capital, diamond wealth

Economic Context

The CAT zone includes some of Africa's poorest countries (Malawi, Burundi, South Sudan) alongside relatively prosperous ones (Botswana's diamond economy). Economic activity ranges from subsistence agriculture to mining (Zambia's copper, Botswana's diamonds, DRC's cobalt), to growing services sectors.

Climate Range

• Tropical (equatorial): Rwanda, Burundi, eastern DRC. Warm year-round, significant rainfall.
• Subtropical: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi. Wet/dry seasons, warm.
• Semi-arid: Botswana (Kalahari), Namibia (partially). Hot, dry.
• Coastal tropical: Mozambique. Hot, monsoon influence.

Technical Identifiers

• Africa/Maputo (IANA reference for generic CAT)
• Africa/Harare, Africa/Lusaka, Africa/Kigali etc. (per-country links)
• CAT (Central Africa Time)
• Windows: "South Africa Standard Time" (groups CAT/SAST together at +02:00)
• Same offset as: SAST, EET (winter), IST (Israel winter)

Quick Reference