Key Highlights
- Fasting length differs dramatically between high‑latitude and equatorial regions.
- On 29 March 2025, the longest fasts (>16 hours) occur in Nordic capitals such as Nuuk and Reykjavik.
- The shortest fasts (~13 hours) are recorded in Southern‑Hemisphere cities like Johannesburg and Canberra.
- Indian metros experience a moderate fast of roughly 13‑14 hours throughout Ramadan 2025.
Detailed Insights
Ramadan, the ninth month of the Hijri calendar, obliges Muslims to abstain from food and drink from pre‑dawn (Suhoor) until sunset (Iftar). Because the Islamic calendar follows the lunar cycle, the month shifts about ten days earlier each solar year, causing the daylight span of the fast to vary each season.
On the final day of Ramadan 2025 (29 March), daylight extremes are pronounced. In the Arctic‑adjacent city of Nuuk, Greenland, the sun rises at 03:40 AM and sets at 08:11 PM, yielding a fast of 16 hours 31 minutes. Reykjavik, Iceland follows closely with 16 hours 29 minutes. Conversely, cities situated far south, such as Johannesburg, South Africa, witness sunrise at 05:00 AM and sunset at 06:09 PM, limiting the fast to just over 13 hours.
Within India, the lunar sighting placed the month’s start on the evening of 2 March 2025. Major urban centres—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad—are projected to observe fasting intervals ranging from 13 hours 20 minutes to 13 hours 40 minutes, reflecting the country’s mid‑latitude position.
Key Concepts
- Suhoor: The pre‑dawn meal that concludes before the first light of day.
- Iftar: The meal taken immediately after sunset to break the fast.
- Hijri Calendar: A purely lunar system consisting of 12 months, each beginning with the sighting of the new moon.
- Latitude Effect: The phenomenon whereby higher latitudes experience longer daylight in summer and shorter daylight in winter, directly influencing fasting duration.
- Lunar Sighting: The traditional method used by Muslim communities to determine the exact start and end of Ramadan.