When it comes to electricity, globalization can be forgotten. Even in the European Union, where one currency circulates, there are different electrical outlets. Therefore, going abroad, you have to replenish your luggage with an adapter or look for it upon arrival. The reason for this is the historical factor.
In the era of electrification, inventors different countries offered their own options for optimal sockets; different types of electric generators were built around the world. And the national companies involved in the installation of electrical networks supplied their devices suitable for these networks. Accordingly, different types of plug connectors and sockets were introduced and their own networks were designed. The developments of other countries were completely ignored.
Influenced the development of sockets and the availability of materials. For example, during the Second World War in Great Britain they came up with a three-prong plug with a short copper fuse. This design made it possible to save copper reserves for military needs.
Now, according to one classification, 12 types of sockets are distinguished, according to another - 15. Moreover, sockets of one type sometimes accept plugs of another. However, having learned that in the country where you are going, the same type of outlet as at home - do not rush to rejoice! This solution is only half the problem. In different parts of the world, the voltage and frequency of the current may vary.
Fortunately, all these differences will not spoil your vacation or business trip - you just need to purchase a suitable adapter in advance. 
Full review all countries in the world and their respective plugs/sockets and voltages/frequencies used for household appliances. The table shows that in most countries the electricity supply is between 220 and 240 volts (50 or 60 Hz), far exceeding countries operating on 100-127 volts. The list also shows that types A and C are the most commonly used electrical plugs worldwide.
Most countries have a well-defined plug and voltage standard. However, many Latin American, African and Asian countries use a motley collection of often incompatible plugs, and sometimes the voltage differs from region to region. This situation makes it difficult for travelers to assess which adapter or transformer plug is needed for a trip. In this case, when the electricity situation in the country requires additional information, the name of the country in question is highlighted in red.
Mains voltage, sockets, plugs, adapters and adapters - this is what every tourist who goes to an unfamiliar country should think about. This is especially true in the modern world, when the vast majority of people travel with their personal electronic devices that require constant recharging - from cameras and mobile phones to laptops and navigation systems. In many countries, the issue is solved simply - with the help of an adapter. However, plugs and sockets are only half the trouble. The mains voltage can also be different from the usual one at home - and you should know and remember this, otherwise you can ruin the device or charger. For example, in Europe and most Asian countries, the voltage varies from 220 to 240 volts. In America and Japan, it is half as much - from 100 to 127 volts. If a device designed for American or Japanese voltage is inserted into a European socket, it will burn out.
There are at least 13 different plugs and sockets in the world.
Type A
This type is designated as Class II. The plug consists of two parallel pins. In the Japanese version, the contacts are the same size. In the American one, one end is slightly wider than the other. Devices with a Japanese plug can be used in American sockets, but vice versa will not work.
Type B
for North and Central America and Japan
This type is referred to as Class I. The international designation for American type B is NEMA 5-15, Canadian type B is CS22.2, n°42 (CS = Canadian Standard). The maximum current is 15 A. In America, type B is very popular, in Japan it is much less common. Often, residents of old houses with type A sockets, acquiring new modern electrical appliances with type B plugs, simply “bite off” the third grounding contact.
Type C
used in all European countries except UK, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta
International designation - CEE 7/16. The plug consists of two contacts with a diameter of 4.0-4.8 mm at a distance of 19 mm from the center. The maximum current is 3.5 A. Type C is an obsolete version of the newer types E, F, J, K and L now used in Europe. All Type C plugs are ideal for new sockets.
Type D
used in India, Nepal, Namibia and Sri Lanka
International designation - BS 546 (BS = British Standard). It is an obsolete British style plug that was used in the metropolitan area until 1962. The maximum current is 5 A. Some type D sockets are compatible with type D and M plugs. Type D sockets can still be found in old houses in Great Britain and Ireland.
Type E
used mainly in France, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Tunisia and Morocco
International designation - CEE 7/7. Maximum current - 16 A. Type E is slightly different from CEE 7/4 (type F), which is common in Germany and other countries of central Europe. All Type C plugs fit perfectly into Type E sockets.
Type F
used in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Spain and Eastern European countries.
International designation CEE 7/4. This type is also known as "Schuko". The maximum current is 16 A. All type C plugs are ideal for type F sockets. The same type is used in Russia (in the USSR it was designated as GOST 7396), the only difference is that the diameter of the contacts adopted in Russia is 4 mm, in while in Europe, 4.8mm contacts are most commonly used. Thus, Russian plugs easily fit into wider European sockets. But the plugs of electronic devices made for Europe do not fit into Russian sockets.
Type G
used in UK, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cyprus and Malta.
International designation - BS 1363 (BS = British Standard). The maximum current is 32 A. Tourists from Europe visiting the UK use ordinary adapters.
Type H
used in Israel
This connector is marked with the symbols SI 32. The type C plug is easily compatible with the type H socket.
Type I
used in Australia, China, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Argentina.
International designation - AS 3112. Maximum current - 10 A. Sockets and plugs of types H and I do not match. The sockets and plugs used by the people of Australia and China are well matched.
Type J
only used in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The international designation is SEC 1011. The maximum current is 10 A. Regarding type C, the type J plug has one more contact, and the socket has one more hole. However, Type C plugs will fit Type J sockets.
Type K
only used in Denmark and Greenland.
The international designation is 107-2-D1. TO Danish socket suitable for CEE 7/4 and CEE 7/7 plugs as well as type C sockets.
Type L
used only in Italy and very rarely in North African countries.
International designation - CEI 23-16 / BII. The maximum current is 10 A or 16 A. All type C plugs fit L type sockets.
Type M
used in South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho.
Type M is very similar to type D. Most type M sockets are compatible with type D plugs.
In order for the plug from your device to be inserted into an outlet in a particular country in the world, an adapter or adapter is often needed. Universal adapters are on sale. In addition, in good hotels, you can usually ask for an adapter at the hotel reception.
Most modern technology, including laptops and chargers, is suitable for use in both networks - both 110 and 220 V - without the use of a transformer. Only the appropriate adapters for plugs and sockets are needed.
Of the 214 countries in the world, 165 countries use 220-240 V (50 or 60 Hz), and 39 countries use 100-127 V.
It's really very inconvenient. Okay, before people didn’t travel much around the world, now it’s practically not a luxury. Remember, when household appliances assembled in Europe began to arrive in Russia, how many problems there were with our Soviet sockets. Bought adapters, they burned. Only not so long ago finally got rid of this problem.
I was in Cyprus in the spring - there are quite unusual British sockets. In a small town in Russia, you can’t buy adapters; upon arrival, you had to run around there, look for them, overpay. Soon I'm going to the Dominican Republic - and there again there are other sockets, American ones (sort of). Adapters will again have to be bought on the spot and not in 1 copy.
And all why...
In the era of electrification, inventors from different countries offered their own options for optimal sockets; different types of electric generators were built around the world.
First, the struggle of technologies at the dawn of the development of electricity left its mark. It's about about the opposition of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla in creating networks of permanent and alternating current respectively. Although we know that AC power plants eventually won out, the DC infrastructure built in the US up to the 1920s (and in Stockholm up to the 1950s) has to be maintained and used right up to the present day. .
Secondly, many inventors offered their own options for optimal (in their opinion) sockets. For example, in 1904, the American inventor Harvey Hubbel received a patent for the first electrical outlet. By its design, it was a kind of adapter for an electric chuck-plug. The adapter was screwed into the cartridge instead of a light bulb, and some electrical appliance was connected to it.
The German engineer Albert Büttner created the "Euro socket" known to us today in 1926. And the first socket with grounding was created by Philippe Labre in 1927.
And the national companies involved in the installation of electrical networks supplied their devices suitable for these networks. Accordingly, different types of plug connectors and sockets were introduced and their own networks were designed. The developments of other countries were completely ignored.
Influenced the development of sockets and the availability of materials. For example, during the Second World War in Great Britain they came up with a three-prong plug with a short copper fuse. This design made it possible to save copper reserves for military needs. Curiously, the use of the 3-pin plug in the UK was in stark contrast to the rest of Europe and even North America, where 2-pin plugs were widely used and also differed in design, all due to the lack of communication in the early days. power supply development.
Now, according to one classification, 12 types of sockets are distinguished, according to another - 15. Moreover, sockets of one type sometimes accept plugs of another. However, having learned that in the country where you are going, the same type of outlet as at home, do not rush to rejoice! This solution is only half the problem. In different parts of the world, the voltage and frequency of the current may vary.
Classification of types of sockets and plugs in different countries of the world
The most common are two standards: European - 220-240 V at a frequency of 50 Hz and American - 100-127 V at a frequency of 60 Hz. You should not check what will happen if an electrical appliance operating from 100-127 V is plugged into a socket with 220-240 V.
In some countries, you have to keep your eyes open at all. For example, in most parts of Brazil 127 V is used, but in the north of the country 220 V is found. And in Japan, the voltage is the same everywhere - 110 V, the frequency is different: 50 Hz is used in the east, 60 Hz in the west. The reason is simple: first, German-made generators with a frequency of 50 Hz were purchased for Tokyo, and shortly after that, American generators with a frequency of 60 Hz were supplied to Osaka.
Perhaps someday a single standard will be adopted. A universal socket for all types of plugs has already been developed. But for now it's up to everyone whether to install it or not. In addition, you first need to come to a single voltage standard. And this rests on the huge financial costs of re-equipment and re-equipment of transformer substations, replacement of sockets and plugs.
* Voltage 100-127V @ 60Hz is used by USA, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, part of Brazil and other countries.* Voltage 220-240 V with a frequency of 50 Hz is used in most other countries, but even with the same parameters, the type of sockets can vary greatly.
Here short description some of them:
Types A and B - American socket
Type B differs from A in that it has a third hole, which is for the ground pin. Such sockets, as you might guess from the name, were invented in the USA and distributed in North, Central and partly South America, as well as Japan and some other countries.
Types C and F - European socket
Just like A and B, types C and F differ only in the presence of grounding - F has it. The European socket is used in most EU countries, as well as in Russia and the CIS, Algeria, Egypt and many other countries.
Type G - UK socket
In the UK, the socket has three flat holes, and this design appeared for a reason. The fact is that during the Second World War the country experienced a shortage of copper. Therefore, a plug with a short copper fuse and three plugs was developed. In addition to Great Britain, the same socket is used in Cyprus, Malta, Singapore and other countries that have experienced the influence of the British Empire.
Type I - Australian socket
This type of outlet can be found not only in Australia, but also in New Zealand, Fiji, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, New Guinea, Samoa and sometimes in China, where types A and C are also common.
Type H - Israeli socket
Type H is used only in Israel and Palestine, and the pins of the plug can be either round or flat, depending on when the device was manufactured. The flat shape of the outlet was in the old technique, but the new outlets fit two options.
Type K - Danish socket
This outlet can easily claim to be the "friendliest" in the world - its design resembles a smiling face. In addition to Denmark and Greenland, which is part of it, type K is used in Bangladesh and the Maldives - however, several types of sockets are common there at once.
Fortunately, all these differences will not spoil your vacation or business trip - you just need to purchase a suitable adapter in advance.
A map showing the distribution of different types of sockets in use around the world.(link to interactive map)
The world map shows the distribution of different types of sockets in use around the world. Countries in red are using Type A and B, dark blue are using types C and E/F (which are 100% compatible with each other), brown are countries using Type D, aqua is British type G, pink is Israeli types C and H , countries in yellow are using Australian type I, black are countries using type C and J, gray are types C and K, orange are types C and L, purple is in South Africa using type M, pale blue is countries using type N, and dark green is Thailand types C and O. Please note that this simplified overview only shows the most common plug type, and sometimes multiple systems in the same country.
For a complete and thorough overview of the electrical plugs used in each country, click .
List of countries in the world with their respective plug and socket types, voltages and frequencies. link worldstandards.eu/electrici...
A complete overview of all countries in the world and their respective plugs/sockets and voltages/frequencies used for home appliances. The table shows that in most countries the electricity supply is between 220 and 240 volts (50 or 60 Hz), far exceeding countries operating on 100-127 volts. The list also shows that types A and C are the most commonly used electrical plugs worldwide.
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But for a long, long time we discussed . And here is the specifics of the American temperature:
There are a great many ways to connect to the electrical network, different types of plugs and sockets for tourists (together with different voltage and frequency) such diversity becomes a serious problem.Of the many connections, the 13 most commonly used types of sockets are distinguished, denoted with Latin letters from A to M.
Type A 
This type is designated as Class II. The plug consists of two parallel pins. In the Japanese version, the contacts are the same size. In the American one, one end is slightly wider than the other. Devices with a Japanese plug can be used in American sockets, but vice versa will not work.
Type B 
Used in North and Central America and in Japan.
This type is referred to as Class I. The international designation for American type B is NEMA 5-15, Canadian type B is CS22.2, n°42 (CS = Canadian Standard). The maximum current is 15 A. In America, type B is very popular, in Japan it is much less common. Often, residents of old houses with type A sockets, acquiring new modern electrical appliances with type B plugs, simply “bite off” the third ground contact.
Type C 
Used in all European countries except UK, Ireland, Cyprus and Malta.
International designation - CEE 7/16. The plug consists of two contacts with a diameter of 4.0-4.8 mm at a distance of 19 mm from the center. The maximum current is 3.5 A. Type C is an obsolete version of the newer types E, F, J, K and L now used in Europe. All Type C plugs are perfect for new sockets.
Type D 
Used in India, Nepal, Namibia and Sri Lanka.
International designation - BS 546 (BS = British Standard). It is an obsolete British style plug that was used in the metropolitan area until 1962. The maximum current is 5 A. Some type D sockets are compatible with type D and M plugs. Type D sockets can still be found in old houses in Great Britain and Ireland.
Type E 
Mainly used in France, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Tunisia and Morocco.
International designation - CEE 7/7. Maximum current - 16 A. Type E is slightly different from CEE 7/4 (type F), which is common in Germany and other countries of central Europe. All Type C plugs fit perfectly into Type E sockets.
Type F 
Mainly used in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Portugal, Spain and Eastern European countries.
International designation CEE 7/4. This type is also known as "Schuko". The maximum current is 16 A. All type C plugs are ideal for type F sockets. The same type is used in Russia (in the USSR it was designated as GOST 7396), the only difference is that the diameter of the contacts adopted in Russia is 4 mm, in while in Europe, 4.8mm contacts are most commonly used. Thus, Russian plugs easily fit into wider European sockets. But the plugs of electronic devices made for Europe do not fit into Russian sockets.
Type G 
Used in UK, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cyprus and Malta.
International designation - BS 1363 (BS = British Standard). The maximum current is 32 A. Tourists from Europe visiting the UK use ordinary adapters.
Type H 
Used in Israel.
This connector is marked with the symbols SI 32. The type C plug is easily compatible with the type H socket.
Type I 
Used in Australia, China, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Argentina.
International designation - AS 3112. Maximum current - 10 A. Sockets and plugs of types H and I do not match. The sockets and plugs used by the people of Australia and China are well matched.
Type J 
Only used in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
The international designation is SEC 1011. The maximum current is 10 A. Regarding type C, the type J plug has one more contact, and the socket has one more hole. However, Type C plugs will fit Type J sockets.
Type K 
Only used in Denmark and Greenland.
International designation - 107-2-D1. The Danish socket accepts CEE 7/4 and CEE 7/7 plugs as well as Type C sockets.
Type L 
Used only in Italy and very rarely in North African countries.
International designation - CEI 23-16 / BII. The maximum current is 10 A or 16 A. All type C plugs fit L type sockets.
Type M 
Used in South Africa, Swaziland and Lesotho.
Type M is very similar to type D. Most type M sockets are compatible with type D plugs.
