Spain's been in the wrong time zone for seven decades

Spaniards are notoriously late-night creatures. In Spain, the sun rises and sets much later than in the rest of the time zone it’s in, called Central European Time, or CET.

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Spaniards sleep 53 minutes less, on average, than other Europeans. They also work longer hours — but at lower productivity…

“Go back home, take a big lunch — a typical Spanish meal. The siesta is optional, but if you have time you can do it,” Sainz says, shaking his head. “But for me, it’s sometimes more useful to keep English time. Like, to come back home earlier in the evening, to have some time on your own.”

In many Spanish barrios, you can’t get a cup of coffee before 9 a.m. The post office is open until 9 p.m. Of course, you’ll have to wait even later than that for restaurants to start serving dinner.

Economists say Spain’s time zone feeds that schedule — and costs the country dearly.

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