Ramadan 2022: which countries have the longest and shortest fast this year?

Ramadan is set to begin at the beginning of April this year and over a billion Muslims will start observing a month-long fast during daylight hours. The holy month begins approximately two weeks earlier each year and, for half the world, it will move away from the longer, hotter days of summer towards the shorter, cooler winter. But which countries will have the most daylight hours and which nations will have the shortest fast? New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa are tied for the shortest fasting period between 11 and 12 hours during the month. Muslims in the city of Reykjavík, Iceland, will have this year’s record of being residents of the city with the longest fasting hours. They are expected to endure a punishing 16 hours and 50 minutes hours fast during the holy month. While nowhere is expecting a midnight sun this Ramadan , Muslims in countries with exceptionally long daytimes during the holy month can’t actually adhere to a 20-hour fast. So, what do they do? In countries where the sunset and sunrise are less than three hours apart, fatwas have been declared in order to allow residents to follow the schedule of other cities. Many, for example, will follow the fast times of Makkah in Saudi Arabia. This year, Saudi Arabia and much of the Middle East will be fasting for around 15 hours a day. Johannesburg, South Africa: 11 to 12 hours Buenos Aires, Argentina: 11 to 12 hours Cape Town, South Africa: 11 to 12 hours Christchurch, New Zealand: 11 to 12 hours Ciudad del Este, Paraguay: 11 to 12 hours Montevideo, Uruguay: 11 to 12 hours Brasilia, Brazil: 12 to 13 hours Harare, Zimbabwe: 12 to 13 hours Reykjavík, Iceland: 16 hours and 50 minutes Warsaw, Poland: 15 hours London, England: 15 hours Paris, France: 16 to 17 hours Lisbon, Portugal: 15 to 16 hours Athens, Greece: 15 to 16 hours Beijing, China: 15 to 16 hours Washington DC, US: 15 to 16 hours Ankara, Turkey: 15 to 16 hours

Ramadan 2022: which countries have the longest and shortest fast this year?

The holy month begins approximately two weeks earlier each year and is set to start at the beginning of April this year