pytz has so many timezones!

[Sanjay]

> Windows timezone selector only lists about 80 timezones. But why force
> the user to select timezone? Let them select from a list of countries
> and then infer the timezone from that data. With multiple alternatives
> for countries with more than one timezone, United States EST, United
> States PST and so on.

> I think the problem is displaying a dropdown list of timezones. People
> have little idea of how their timezones are called; it would be better
> to list countries, which are many but nicely alphabetized, and map the
> country to its only timezone, or for the few large countries with more
> than a TZ offer a choice later.

Thanks for the suggestions!

1. I am unable to understand how Windows manages with only 80 whereas
pytz has 400. Understanding this can be a nice clue for my work. Any
insights?
2. Mapping the timezones to countries is a nice idea. Any idea how to
go about it - I mean whether I have to collect the data manually and
do it, or some better way is available - will help me a lot.

thanks
Sanjay