About Time: Huge country, nine time zones

Theoretically, the world should be divided into 24 equal time zones, in which each zone differs from the last by one hour. But as the years have passed, the world has turned into a much more complicated place.

Time zones are now much more irregular and sometimes seem positively eccentric, affected as they are by political, geographical and social changes in the real world.

Add to that arguments over daylight saving, and you have a subject that has been the cause of furious debate around the world.

Until fairly recently, Russia was divided into 11 time zones - but the number has since reduced to nine, and President Medvedev would like to see even fewer in place.

Tanya Beckett reports from Vladivostock, where the time zone reduction is not being welcomed with open arms.