this post was submitted on 06 Mar 2024
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Country calling codes (upload.wikimedia.org)
submitted 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
 
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[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

I love how the division in Europe vaguely looks like the Protestant Reformation led to different prefix numbers (I know I know, Poland & co don't match)

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (2 children)

It’s interesting to me that Africa is 2. I’d assume that when these were implemented Africa would be a cultural afterthought and Europe would’ve gotten number 2.

Curious what the thought process was there.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

It's interesting to me that the US, Canada, Russia, and Kazakhstan get single digit codes, and the rest of the world get double or triple digits.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

US is part of the NANP which means they have their own system for beyond +1, which is shared with Canada and half the Caribbean, and so they were given the whole of +1 rather than +10, +11, +12 etc. all resolving to the same thing, or +10 being for about 10 different countries while +11 was for one

Then the Soviet Union wanted a single digit too, which is why Russia and Kazakhstan share +7

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

Even more curious is Groenland being +2 too

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

Mongolia has a calling code that's too hot to handle

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (2 children)

One could argue, and one could argue that I'm arguing exactly that right now, that a map is not strictly speaking a list.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I could also agree that a map is just a multidimensional list. But this is map_enthusiasts NOT list_enthusiasts, so... Um... What was the point?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

I find that it's often easiest to start typing and hope a point finds me along the way. Doesn't always work!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

Feel free to post your own maps

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

What are those, calling codes for ants?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (2 children)

If you have a better version, feel free to provide it, I would update the link

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

You might want to know about this handy site: https://imgops.com/

The various reverse lookup services all seem to be strongest in different areas, but generally I start with tineye and Yandex and only try the others if I don't find what I need.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

Its settled, Greenland is neither North American or European, its African.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Weird how they split up Europe into a patchwork.

I’m guessing it’s because France refused to share a prefix code with Britain.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It's not a million miles away from the truth. The UK and France were the main advocates behind the ITU, so they got +33 and +44. Which is...fine...but I've not come across why NA got +1, etc. or even why those numbers were chosen at all.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (2 children)

NA has +1 because the US invented the telephone. Canada is America's hat.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

Alexander Graham Bell was Scottish, who moved to Canada and then moved to the US.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Graham Bell also moved to Canada.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

And now we have our most evil telecom, Bell

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

You sure they're not tied with Rogers?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

To be honest, all three are tied for first place evil

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

Or more likely, they had a mutual agreement until Britain wanted its own thing, so they exit the deal. Seems like something the English would do. We could have called it Brexit or something

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (4 children)

The US is literally #1

Edit: plus Canada, I didn't know we were country calling code buddies 🫶

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

Czechia is 420 😎

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago

It's the award for helping foster the growth of the technology. America is a Petrie dish for tech and they use their people as agar.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

They needed to make it simple for Americans

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Awww :(

I was just pointing it out because we're never #1 in anything that isn't horrible these days

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Don't worry. I was only joking.
America is #1 at lots of things, like... erm... yeah. Lots of things.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

... Definitely at claiming to be #1. #1 bad or good. Doesn't matter. #1 lol.

Nobody has loved or hated America more than America.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The only other pair sharing the same number are Russia and Kazakhstan with 7

[–] [email protected] 0 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

All of the USSR was +7 IIRC. Most changed it after independence, notice how the Baltics, Belarus and whatnot have previously unassigned three-character numbers instead of two like most of Europe (except microstates). They only got their numbers in the 90s, and no shorter ones were available. +37 just became available since east Germany didn't exist anymore.

Same with the former Yugoslavian countries, all of YU used +38, when they split up they had to split up +38 too.