# django.core.exceptions.ImproperlyConfigured: TIME_ZONE setting must be set to a valid timezone string.

- **ID:** `python/django-timezone-issue`
- **Domain:** python
- **Category:** config_error
- **Verification:** ai_generated
- **Fix Rate:** 80%

## Root Cause

TIME_ZONE in settings is empty or invalid.

## Version Compatibility

| Version | Status | Introduced | Deprecated |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|
| 3.x | active | — | — |

## Workarounds

1. **** (95% success)
   ```
   Set TIME_ZONE = 'Asia/Shanghai' or other valid IANA string.
   ```

## Dead Ends

- **** — Django expects IANA timezone names, not offsets. (80% fail)
- **** — Defaults to 'America/Chicago' which may be wrong. (50% fail)