The choice of column type in MySQL depends on the specific requirements of the data being stored, with different types offering varying levels of precision and range. The DATE column stores only dates, while the YEAR column stores only years; the TIME column stores time intervals, whereas the DATETIME and TIMESTAMP columns store both date and time information. TIMESTAMP has a smaller storage size but a narrower legal range compared to DATETIME, which is more suitable for storing dates outside the 1970-2038 range. Additionally, MySQL's handling of timezones can affect how values are stored and retrieved from the database.