The more than 7,300 inhabitants of the remote island of Kiritimati, northeast of Austria, in the South Pacific island nation of Kiribati, have been the first people in the world to welcome 2024.
The residents of this island, who entered on January 1 at 10:00 GMT on December 31, were followed about 15 minutes later by citizens of the New Zealand territory of the Chatham Islands, while an hour later it was the turn of Tonga, Samoa and the main cities of New Zealand.
In Auckland, the first major city to welcome the new year, as is tradition, the countdown to the arrival of 2024 is carried out from the Sky Tower, in the center of the city, followed by a fireworks show over the capital's bay. New Zealander.
An hour later the New Year arrives in Fiji, Tuvalu, Nauru and other islands of Kiribati, as well as the Chukotka region, in the far northeast of Russia. While some of the main cities in Australia, such as Sydney, Melbourne or Canberra, receive 2024 at 13:00 GMT.
Around one million people, according to official estimates, will gather in Sydney Harbor - the self-proclaimed "New Year capital of the world" - to witness the eight tons of fireworks that will light the fuse of 2024.
