You're staring at your phone screen, looking at a missed call that starts with +21. Or maybe you're trying to dial out to a business partner in North Africa or a friend traveling through the Mediterranean and you're thinking, "Wait, what's the 21 country phone code again?"
It’s a trick question.
Honestly, there isn't a single "21" country code. It doesn't exist. International calling codes, governed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) under the E.164 standard, use a zone-based system. Zone 2 covers Africa. Because of that, every country code starting with the digit 2 is located on the African continent or nearby islands. But +21 by itself? That's just a prefix. It's the "neighborhood" address, not the specific house.
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The Mystery of the Missing Two-Digit Code
Most people get frustrated because they see +1 for the USA or +44 for the UK and assume +21 must belong to a single major player. It doesn't work that way. In the grand architecture of global telephony, the "21" slot is subdivided. Think of it like a pie that was sliced up to accommodate multiple nations.
If you see +21 on your caller ID, your phone is likely truncating the number or you're looking at the start of a three-digit code. For example, +212 is Morocco. If you missed the last digit, you're just looking at a fragment.
Breaking Down the +21X Neighborhood
Since +21 isn't a standalone destination, you have to look at the third digit to figure out where the call is actually coming from. It's a bit of a geographical puzzle.
South Sudan uses +211. This is actually a relatively new development in the world of telecommunications. When South Sudan gained independence in 2011, they needed their own identity on the airwaves. They transitioned from the old Sudanese code (+249) to +211. It was a massive logistical undertaking involving the ITU and global carriers updating their routing tables. If you get a call starting with 211, it's almost certainly coming from Juba or the surrounding regions.
Then you have +212. This is Morocco. It's one of the more common "21" codes you'll encounter, especially in international trade or tourism. Interestingly, Western Sahara also technically falls under the +212 umbrella for many telecommunications services, though the geopolitical situation there is obviously complex.
+213 belongs to Algeria. It’s a massive country with a robust telecom infrastructure. If you're dialing Algiers, you’re hitting that 213.
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Then things get a little quiet. +214 and +215? They are currently unassigned. They're basically empty lots in the digital neighborhood. The ITU keeps these in reserve. Why? Because history is messy. Countries split. New nations are born. Sometimes a region needs a new code because of a massive shift in population or political status. By keeping 214 and 215 blank, the ITU ensures they won't have to reshuffle the entire continent's numbering plan when the next big change happens.
+216 is Tunisia.
+218 is Libya.
Notice we skipped +217? That's another spare. It’s just sitting there, waiting for a purpose.
Why Do We Even Use These Codes?
It feels antiquated, doesn't it? In an era of WhatsApp, Telegram, and FaceTime, the idea of a "country code" feels like a relic from the days of switchboard operators. But the underlying "PSTN" (Public Switched Telephone Network) still relies on these numbers to route data packets. Even when you use a VoIP service, those "real" phone numbers are often mapped to these international standards.
The E.164 standard is the "law of the land" here. It limits phone numbers to a maximum of 15 digits. By keeping the country codes short—like the +2 codes for Africa—the system leaves more room for internal subscriber numbers.
Dealing With the +21 Scam Calls
Here is the part that actually matters for your daily life. If you aren't expecting a call from North Africa, but you see a "+212" or "+216" pop up, be incredibly careful.
There's a specific type of fraud called the Wangiri scam. It's a Japanese word meaning "one ring and cut." The scammers use automated dialers to call thousands of numbers across the US, Europe, or Australia. They let it ring once and then hang up.
Your curiosity kicks in. You see a missed call from +212 and think, "Who do I know in Morocco?" You call back.
That’s the trap.
The number is often a premium-rate service, similar to the old 1-900 numbers. You get put on hold, or you hear a recording of someone crying, or a "contest" announcement. While you're waiting, you're being charged $5, $10, or even $20 per minute. The scammers pocket a percentage of that international connection fee. Because it’s an international call, your domestic carrier often can't do much to get your money back once the call is placed.
How to Properly Dial a +21X Number
If you actually do need to call someone in this zone, you can't just type 21. You need the full sequence.
- The Exit Code: If you're in the US or Canada, this is 011.
- The Plus Sign: On a mobile phone, you can usually just hold the "0" key to get the + symbol, which replaces the exit code automatically.
- The Full Country Code: For example, 212 for Morocco.
- The Area Code: Most of these countries have their own internal regional codes.
- The Subscriber Number: The actual person's phone.
So, a call to Morocco from a US cell phone would look like: +212 [City Code] [Number].
The Geopolitics of a Number
It's easy to forget that these numbers are political. When a country gets a code, it’s a sign of sovereignty. When South Sudan got +211, it was a tech-heavy "welcome to the world" party. On the flip side, when countries are under heavy sanctions or in the middle of a civil war, their phone codes can become gateways for gray-market telecommunications.
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In Libya (+218), the telecom infrastructure has been a point of contention between different factions for years. Controlling the "gateway" where international calls come in is a source of both power and revenue. It’s not just a number; it’s a piece of national infrastructure as vital as a power plant or an airport.
Identifying Your Specific +21 Prefix
If you are looking at a log and see +21, here is the quick-reference breakdown of what that actually represents in the real world:
- +211: South Sudan. The world's youngest country code.
- +212: Morocco and Western Sahara. High volume of business calls.
- +213: Algeria. Major hub for the oil and gas industry.
- +216: Tunisia. Frequently seen in Mediterranean trade.
- +218: Libya. Often associated with the energy sector.
- +210, +214, +215, +217, +219: Currently unassigned/Reserved.
If you see +210 or +219 on your caller ID, be extremely suspicious. Since no country is officially assigned to these, the number is likely being "spoofed" by a computer program. Scammers use unassigned prefixes because they know they won't trigger the same automatic "Spam Likely" filters that a known fraudulent number might.
The Future of International Prefixing
Will we even have these in ten years? Probably. While "usernames" are taking over, the global hardware that connects our world still speaks the language of digits. The "21" prefix will likely remain the gateway to North Africa for the foreseeable future.
Actionable Steps for Dealing with +21 Calls
- Check the third digit immediately. If it’s not 1, 2, 3, 6, or 8, it’s not a valid country code.
- Do not call back. If a call from +212 or +213 rings once and stops, let it go. If it's important, they will leave a voicemail or send a text.
- Use a lookup tool. Websites like Whitepages or specialized international number trackers can sometimes tell you if a specific +21X number has been reported for fraud.
- Whitelist contacts. if you have family in Tunisia or business in Algeria, add their full international numbers (starting with +21) to your contact list. Most modern smartphones will then ignore your "Silence Unknown Callers" settings for those specific people.
- Verify via secondary apps. If you get a weird call from a +21X number, try searching for that number on WhatsApp. Often, legitimate businesses in these regions will have a business profile attached to the number, which adds a layer of verification.