Which places welcome New Year first and last in the world?

The first countries in the world to welcome New Year are the Pacific islands of Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati, where January 1 begins at 10am GMT or 3:30pm IST (Indian Standard Time) on December 31. The last places to welcome New Year are the uninhabited Howland and Baker Islands, near US, at 12pm GMT or 5:30pm IST on January 1.