Country Information
Quick reference facts for any country — capital, currency, calling code, languages, and more.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do country calling codes work?▼
International dialing codes (calling codes or country codes) are prefixes dialed before a local number for international calls. They're defined by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union) in the E.164 standard. The US and Canada share +1. Russia is +7. The UK is +44. Most of Western Europe is +3x or +4x. To call internationally: dial your country's exit code (often 00 or +), then the destination country code, then the local number without its leading 0.
What is the smallest and largest country by area?▼
Vatican City (Holy See) is the world's smallest country at just 0.44 km² (0.17 sq mi), located entirely within Rome, Italy. Russia is the largest at 17.1 million km² — about 1/8 of Earth's land area. Russia spans 11 time zones. Canada is the second largest (10 million km²), followed by China and the USA (~9.6 million km² each).
What is the most widely spoken language in the world?▼
Mandarin Chinese has the most native speakers (~920 million). English has the most total speakers (~1.5 billion including L2 speakers) and is the world's primary international language. Spanish is the second most spoken native language (~480 million). There are approximately 7,100 languages in total; about 23 languages are spoken by more than 50 million people and account for over half the world's population.
Why do some countries have multiple official currencies?▼
Some countries use another nation's currency: Ecuador, El Salvador, and Zimbabwe use the US Dollar. Montenegro and Kosovo use the Euro without being EU members. Panama uses both the Dollar and the Balboa (pegged 1:1 to USD). Countries may dollarize to control inflation, enable trade, or reduce currency risk. The Euro is the official currency of 20 EU member states.