As we continue west towards the the International Date Line the local time gets earlier and earlier, until at the date line the time is 3am on January 3. This illustrates two things, firstly that there is no change of local time crossing over the date line although the date changes by one day and secondly, the obvious value in adopting a standard time and day that can be used to date events anywhere in the world without ambiguity. Despite its name, the International Date Line has no international status and was not defined by the 1884 convention or any other treaty. This means that countries close to Date Line are free to choose which date they will observe. It also places Caroline Island, since renamed to Millenium Island, as a leading contender to see the first sunrise of the new millenium.
Some people are keen to be the first to see the first sunrise of the new millenium.
The answer is that it is rising along half a great circle opposite the Greenwich Meridian, in other words, Eastern Russia, through China, out over the Bay of Bengal and down towards the Antarctic circle. The super-purist view At the South Pole, the Sun will have risen at the previous equinox around 21 September 2000, and will not set until the following equinox on 21 March 2001. In reality, the start of the new year is celebrated by people around the world according to their own local times and most people will celebrate the start of the year 2000 not 2001. In the table below, the times of sunrise for various places at the start of the year 2000 are listed. The places in the above table are listed in order of the time of sunrise.