There is the long list of countries that use +1 code as prefix when it comes of dialing and making telephone connections across different locations in the universe. With so many countries in mind, it had been said before that most of the geographical locations of the world have their own special kind of codes that we use to reach our loved ones there when we call or dial contact numbers.
Country calling codes, country dial-in codes, international subscriber dialing (ISD) codes, or most commonly, telephone country codes are telephone number prefixes for reaching telephone subscribers in foreign countries or areas via international telecommunication networks. They are often defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in ITU-T standards E.123 and E.164.
Most of these numbers are used only when dialing a telephone number in a country or world region other than the caller’s. Country codes are dialed before the national telephone number, but require at least one additional prefix, the international call prefix which is an exit code from the national numbering plan to the international one.
Speaking of prefixes, our major focus is to outline the list of countries codes that use +1 code as prefix.
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Countries That Use +1 Code as Prefix
The +1 country code prefix is primarily used by countries and territories in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). This includes the United States and Canada as the two main countries.
Additionally, several Caribbean nations and territories also use the +1 prefix with specific area codes assigned to them. These include places like Bermuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Antigua, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and some others. Essentially, +1 is the international dialing code for the entire NANP region, covering multiple countries and territories mostly in North America and the Caribbean. Below is the long highlights of the countries and geographical spaces that are planned to take such country codes:
- 1 North American Numbering Plan
- 1 – United States, including United States territories:
- 1 (340) – United States Virgin Islands
- 1 (670) – Northern Mariana Islands
- 1 (671) – Guam
- 1 (684) – American Samoa
- 1 (787, 939) – Puerto Rico
- 1 – Canada
- Caribbean nations, Dutch and British Overseas Territories:
- 1 (242) – Bahamas
- 1 (246) – Barbados
- 1 (264) – Anguilla
- 1 (268) – Antigua and Barbuda
- 1 (284) – British Virgin Islands
- 1 (345) – Cayman Islands
- 1 (441) – Bermuda
- 1 (473) – Grenada
- 1 (649) – Turks and Caicos Islands
- 1 (658, 876) – Jamaica
- 1 (664) – Montserrat
- 1 (721) – Sint Maarten
- 1 (758) – Saint Lucia
- 1 (767) – Dominica
- 1 (784) – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- 1 (809, 829, 849) – Dominican Republic
- 1 (868) – Trinidad and Tobago
- 1 (869) – Saint Kitts and Nevis
In case you need to reach these countries, I hope it is known now that you will need to add the prefix +1 before you initiate the fastest form of communication with your loved ones there in any of them.
Territories that share the +1 country code do so because they are part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP), a telephone numbering system that includes the United States, Canada, and several Caribbean and US territories. These territories share the +1 code to allow a unified and streamlined system for phone numbering, making it easier to manage and route calls within this geographical and economic region.
This shared numbering plan includes US territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as Caribbean nations such as the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Jamaica, and others.
The reason behind this shared country code is historical and practical, designed to simplify telecommunications across countries and territories that have strong economic and political ties with the US and Canada. Instead of assigning each individual territory or country a unique international dialing code, the NANP treats this region as a collective zone, with unique area codes designated within the +1 framework to distinguish each specific location.
This arrangement facilitates easier communication, cost-saving, and regulatory cohesion across the member countries and territories of the NANP.
Differences Between +1 Islands with Distinct National Dialing
Islands that share the +1 country code, such as those in the Caribbean, have distinct national dialing through unique area codes that distinguish each island or territory within the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). Although the +1 prefix is common, each island or territory is assigned a specific three-digit area code.
This system creates a unified framework for international dialing but allows national and local identity through different area codes. For example, Barbados uses the area code 246, Jamaica uses 876, and the Bahamas uses 242.
The dialing procedures within these islands also differ slightly depending on local telecommunications infrastructure and regulations, such as national prefixes or trunk codes used before dialing local numbers. While calling between these islands remains within the +1 system, each island operates its own telephone administration independently, which manages its numbering plan, tariffs, and services.
This enables both the simplification of cross-island calling under a unified international code and the maintenance of distinct national identities through unique area codes and dialing rules.
Countries that Start With Prefixes +2 and +3
The Countries that start with the prefix +2 in their international dialing codes are predominantly located in Africa. This includes nations like Egypt (+20), South Sudan (+211), Morocco (+212), Algeria (+213), Tunisia (+216), Libya (+218), Ghana (+233), Nigeria (+234), and many others throughout the African continent. The +2 prefix generally designates the African calling zone, covering a wide range of countries across northern, western, eastern, and southern Africa.
Countries that start with the prefix +3 are mainly in Europe. This includes countries such as Greece (+30), the Netherlands (+31), Belgium (+32), France (+33), Spain (+34), Hungary (+36), and Italy (+39), among others. The +3 prefix represents the European calling zone, covering many of the European Union members and neighboring countries. In summary, the +2 prefix is mostly assigned to African countries, while +3 prefixes are predominantly assigned to European countries, reflecting the regional division used by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for country calling codes.
Many of the countries with these prefixes are mostly Africa, Aruba, Faroe Islands, Greenland and British Indian Ocean Territory. Here are the long list of these countries:
- 20 – Egypt
- 211 – South Sudan
- 212 – Morocco (including Western Sahara)
- 213 – Algeria
- 214 – unassigned
- 215 – unassigned
- 216 – Tunisia
- 217 – unassigned
- 218 – Libya
- 219 – unassigned
- 220 – Gambia
- 221 – Senegal
- 222 – Mauritania
- 223 – Mali
- 224 – Guinea
- 225 – Ivory Coast
- 226 – Burkina Faso
- 227 – Niger
- 228 – Togo
- 229 – Benin
- 230 – Mauritius
- 231 – Liberia
- 232 – Sierra Leone
- 233 – Ghana
- 234 – Nigeria
- 235 – Chad
- 236 – Central African Republic
- 237 – Cameroon
- 238 – Cape Verde
- 239 – São Tomé and Príncipe
- 240 – Equatorial Guinea
- 241 – Gabon
- 242 – Republic of the Congo
- 243 – Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 244 – Angola
- 245 – Guinea-Bissau
- 246 – British Indian Ocean Territory
- 247 – Ascension Island
- 248 – Seychelles
- 249 – Sudan
- 250 – Rwanda
- 251 – Ethiopia
- 252 – Somalia (including Somaliland)
- 253 – Djibouti
- 254 – Kenya
- 255 – Tanzania
- 255 (24) – Zanzibar, in place of never-implemented 259
- 256 – Uganda
- 257 – Burundi
- 258 – Mozambique
- 259 – unassigned (was intended for People’s Republic of Zanzibar but never implemented – see 255 Tanzania)
- 260 – Zambia
- 261 – Madagascar
- 262 – Réunion
- 262 (269,639) – Mayotte (formerly at 269 Comoros)
- 263 – Zimbabwe
- 264 –Namibia (formerly 27 (6x) as South West Africa)
- 265 – Malawi
- 266 – Lesotho
- 267 – Botswana
- 268 – Eswatini
- 269 – Comoros (formerly assigned to Mayotte, now at 262)
- 27 – South Africa
- 28x – unassigned (reserved for country code expansion)[1]
- 290 – Saint Helena
- 290 (8) – Tristan da Cunha
- 291 – Eritrea
- 292 – unassigned
- 293 – unassigned
- 294 – unassigned
- 295 – unassigned (formerly assigned to San Marino, now at 378)
- 296 – unassigned
- 297 – Aruba
- 298 – Faroe Islands
- 299 – Greenland
Some of the larger countries were assigned two-digit codes to compensate for their usually longer domestic numbers. Small countries were assigned three-digit codes, which also has been the practice since the 1980s.
- 30 – Greece
- 31 – Netherlands
- 32 – Belgium
- 33 – France
- 34 – Spain
- 350 – Gibraltar
- 351 – Portugal
- 351 (291) – Madeira (landlines only)
- 351 (292) – Azores (landlines only, Horta, Azores area)
- 351 (295) – Azores (landlines only, Angra do Heroísmo area)
- 351 (296) – Azores (landlines only, Ponta Delgada and São Miguel Island area)
- 352 – Luxembourg
- 353 – Ireland
- 354 – Iceland
- 355 – Albania
- 356 – Malta
- 357 – Cyprus (including Akrotiri and Dhekelia)
- 358 – Finland
- 358 (18) – Åland
- 359 – Bulgaria
- 36 – Hungary (formerly assigned to Turkey, now at 90)
- 37 – formerly assigned to East Germany until its reunification with West Germany, now part of 49 Germany
- 370 – Lithuania (formerly 7/012 as Lithuanian SSR)
- 371 – Latvia (formerly 7/013 as Latvian SSR)
- 372 – Estonia (formerly 7/014 as Estonian SSR)
- 373 – Moldova (formerly 7/042 as Moldavian SSR)
- 374 – Armenia (formerly 7/885 as Armenian SSR)
- 375 – Belarus
- 376 – Andorra (formerly 33 628)
- 377 – Monaco (formerly 33 93)
- 378 – San Marino (interchangeably with 39 0549; earlier was allocated 295 but never used)
- 379 – Vatican City (assigned but uses 39 06698).
- 38 – formerly assigned to Yugoslavia until its break-up in 1991
- 380 – Ukraine
- 381 – Serbia
- 382 – Montenegro
- 383 – Kosovo
- 384 – unassigned
- 385 – Croatia
- 386 – Slovenia
- 387 – Bosnia and Herzegovina
- 388 – unassigned (formerly assigned to the European Telephony Numbering Space)[1][2]
- 389 – North Macedonia
- 39 – Italy
- 39 (0549) – San Marino (interchangeably with 378)
- 39 (06 698) – Vatican City (assigned 379 but not in use)
Why +2 and +3 Were Assigned to those Regions
The assignment of the +2 and +3 international dialing prefixes to Africa and Europe respectively is primarily based on the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) regional grouping system, which organizes countries into zones for more efficient telecommunications management. This regional division follows historical, geographical, and practical considerations to cluster countries by continent or broad region for easier administration of phone numbering.
Africa was assigned the +2 prefix because it fits as the second major region following the numbering system pattern, with many African countries grouped together under this code to streamline communication infrastructure across a vast continent with many nations. The +2 region includes mostly African countries owing to their geographic position and the telecommunication needs that were organized to accommodate the continent’s layout.
Europe received the +3 prefix as it is another large, distinct region geographically and historically separated from Africa and the Americas. Assigning +3 to Europe allowed the ITU to organize telephone numbering distinctively for this region, reflecting Europe’s dense population and telecommunications networks. This allocation facilitates call routing and numbering administration reflecting international boundaries and cultural-geographical identities.
In summary, the +2 and +3 codes correspond to Africa and Europe due to the ITU’s regional allocation strategies that group countries by continent or major region, prioritizing administrative efficiency and geographic coherence.
Historical Changes to the +2 and +3 Prefixes
There appear to be no relevant historical records or sources specifically summarizing changes to the +2 and +3 international dialing prefixes in telecommunications. The assignment of these prefixes has remained relatively stable since the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) created the country code system.
The +2 prefix has consistently been assigned to African countries, while +3 has been designated for European nations, reflecting geography and administrative convenience. Any adjustments over time generally involve the reassignment or introduction of new area codes within these regions rather than major changes to the overarching prefixes themselves. Thus, the +2 and +3 prefixes have endured as stable regional designations rather than undergoing significant historical changes.