:: ElectroPhotography.com ::
 user: anonymous   login | logout | modify user | new user |
Shaw TV interview with Agnnes Kraweck PhD

Interpret your photo!

 

 
 View All Products
AAA international electricity source. Walkabout Travel Gear (TM). Worldwide electrical index. worldwide electricity guide international international converters adapter plug adapters transformers wall plugs electric electrical voltage adaptadores, convertidores y transformadores eléctricos internacionales adattatori, convertitori e trasformatori elettrici internazionali der Adapter der Transformater france england united kingdom great britain germany australia austria argentina belgium brazil columbia venezuela czech republic slovakia denmark portugal finland norway greece holland netherlands dutch hungary india israel italy jordan saudi arabia kuwait japan korea south africa sweden switzerland turkey poland russia yugoslavia bosnia slovenia worldwide electricity guide international international converters adapter plug adapters transformers wall plugs electric electrical voltage adaptadores, convertidores y transformadores eléctricos internacionales adattatori, convertitori e trasformatori elettrici internazionali der Adapter der Transformater france england united kingdom great britain germany australia austria argentina belgium brazil columbia venezuela czech republic slovakia denmark portugal finland norway greece holland netherlands dutch hungary india israel italy jordan saudi arabia kuwait japan korea south africa sweden switzerland turkey poland russia yugoslavia bosnia slovenia worldwide electricity guide international international converters adapter plug adapters transformers wall plugs electric electrical voltage adaptadores, convertidores y transformadores eléctricos internacionales adattatori, convertitori e trasformatori elettrici internazionali der Adapter der Transformater france england united kingdom great britain germany australia austria argentina belgium brazil columbia venezuela czech republic slovakia denmark portugal finland norway greece holland netherlands dutch hungary india israel italy jordan saudi arabia kuwait japan korea south africa sweden switzerland turkey poland russia yugoslavia bosnia slovenia

VOLTAGE AND ADAPTER INDEX BY COUNTRY

SOME BASICS

With a few exceptions, everyone in the world uses either 110 or 220 Volt (V) electricity. (By 110 we mean 110-120 Volts and 220, 220-240 Volts.) 110 is prevalent in North, Central and some parts of South America, the Caribbean, and parts of the Pacific. It also is used in some other countries, such as Vietnam. 220 is used about everywhere else. Several countries actually use both 110 and 220. Also, some remote areas use DC power. Countries where you may find DC power are noted with a exclamation point. ("!") Beware of DC power as you can destroy your appliance if you plug in, even with a transformer.

The other difference between electricity is the cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz.) Countries either use 60 Hz. (such as in North America) or 50 Hz. (such as in Europe.) There is a fairly close correlation between 110 V/60 Hz. and 220 V/50 Hz but there are many exceptions. Most electronic devices will not be affected by the cycle change. (But you need to make sure.) Other appliances, including analog clocks and some motorized appliances, will run slower or faster.

What adapter is needed where is often a lesson in past colonialism. Many countries have a multitude of electrical outlet configurations, some to ridiculous proportions. Usually they are island nations, or countries which saw a rapid influx of wealth as their infrastructure was developing, i.e. many Middle Eastern countries. To be safe, you should take all required. However, if you are only taking appliances which are not grounded (with two prongs on the electric plug) you only need non-grounded plugs. Or, if you are taking only grounded appliances (with three prong on the electric plug) you need only grounded plugs. The index on this page contains both grounded and non-grounded plugs. 

WORLDWIDE ELECTRICITY INDEX

COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
ABU DHABI 220 50  
AFGHANISTAN 220 50  
ALBANIA 220 50  
ALGERIA 110/220 50  
ANDORRA 220 50  
ANGOLA 220 50  
ANGUILLA 220 50  
ANTIGUA 220 60  
ARGENTINA !220 50  
ARMENIA 220 50  
ARUBA 127/220 60  
AUSTRALIA 220 50  
AUSTRIA 220 50  
AZERBAIJAN 220 50  
AZORES 110/220 50  

 

COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
BAHAMAS 110/220 60  
BAHLI 110/220 50  
BAHRAIN 220 50  
BALEARIC ISLANDS 110/220 50  
BANGLADESH 220 50  
BARBADOS 110/220 50  
BELGIUM 220 50  
BELIZE 110/220 50  
BELARUS 220 50  
BENIN 220 50  
BERMUDA 110 60  
BHUTAN 220 50  
BOLIVIA 110/220 50  
BONAIRE 127/220 50  
BOSNIA-
HERCEGOVINA
220 50  
BOTSWANA 220 50  
BRAZIL !110/220 60  
BRITISH
SOLOMON ISLANDS
220 60  
BRITISH
VIRGIN ISLANDS
110/220 60  
BRUNEI 220 50  
BULGARIA 220 50  
BURKINA FASO 220 50  
BURMA 220 50  
BURUNDI 220 50  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
CAMBODIA 110/220 50  
CAMEROON 110/220 50  
CANAL ZONE (PANAMA) 110 60  
CANADA 110 60  
CANARY
ISLANDS
110/220 50  
CAPE VERDE
ISLANDS
220 50  
CAYMAN ISLANDS 110/220 60  
CENTRAL
AFRICAN REP
220 50  
CHAD 220 50  
CHANNEL
ISLANDS
220 50  
CHILE 220 50  
CHINA 220 50  
COLOMBIA 110/220 60  
COMOROS
ISLANDS
110/220 50  
CONGO 220 50  
COOK
ISLANDS
220 50  
COSTA RICA 110/220 60  
COTE D' IVOIRE 220 50  
CROATIA 220 50  
CUBA 110/220 60  
CURACAO 127/220 50  
CYPRUS 220 50  
CZECH
REPUBLIC
220 50  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
DENMARK 220 50  
DJIBOUTI 220 50  
DOMINICA 220 50  
DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC
110 60  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
ECUADOR 110/220 60  
EGYPT 110/220 50  
EL SALVADOR 110/220 60  
EQUATORIAL
GUINEA
220 50  
ERITREA 220 50  
ESTONIA 220 50  
ETHIOPIA 220 50  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
FIJI 220 50  
FAEROE ISLANDS 220 50  
FALKLAND
ISLANDS
220 50  
FINLAND 230 50  
FRANCE 220 50  
FRENCH ANTILLES 220 50  
FRENCH
GUIANA
220 50  
FRENCH
POLYNESIA
220 50  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
GABON 220 50  
GAMBIA 220 50  
GEORGIA 220 50  
GERMANY 220 50  
GHANA 220 50  
GIBRALTAR 220 50  
GILBERT
ISLANDS
220 50  
GREAT
BRITAIN
220 50  
GREECE 220 50  
GREENLAND 220 50  
GRENADA 220 50  
GRENADINES 220 50  
GUADELOUPE 220 50  
GUAM 110 60  
GUATETEMALA 110 50  
GUINEA 220 50  
GUINEA BISSAU 220 50  
GUYANA 110/220 60  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
HAITI 110 50  
HOLLAND 220 50  
HONDURAS 110 60  
HONG KONG 220 50  
HUNGARY 220 50  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
ICELAND 220 50  
INDIA !220 50  
INDONESIA 110/220 50  
IRAN 220 50  
IRAQ 220 50  
IRELAND 220 50  
ISLE OF MAN 220 50  
ISLE OF WIGHT 220 50  
ISRAEL 220 50  
ITALY 220 50  
IVORY COAST 220 50  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
JAMAICA 110 50  
JAPAN 100 50/60  
JORDAN 220 50  

 

COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
KAZAKHSTAN 220 50  
KENYA 220 50  
KIRIBATI 220 50  
KOREA 110/220 50/60  
KUWAIT 220 50  
KYRGYSTAN 220 50  

 

COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
LAOS 220 50  
LATVIA 220 50  
LEEWARD ISLANDS 220 50  
LESOTHO 220 50  
LIBERIA 110/220 60  
LIBYA 110/220 50  
LITHUANIA 220 50  
LUXEMBOURG 220 50  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
MACAO 220 50  
MACEDONIA 220 50  
MADAGASCAR 110/220 50  
MADEIRA
ISLAND
!220 50  
MALAGASY
REPUBLIC
110/220 50  
MALAWAI 220 50  
MALAYSIA 220 50  
MALDIVES 220 50  
MALI 220 50  
MALTA 220 50  
MARTINIQUE 220 50  
MAURITANIA 220 50  
MAURITIUS 220 50  
MEXICO 110 60  
MICRONESIA 110/220 50  
MOLDOVIA 220 50  
MONACO 110/220 50  
MONGOLIA 220 50  
MONSTERAT 220 60  
MONTENEGR0 220 50  
MOROCCO 110/220 50  
MOZAMBIQUE 220 50  
MYANMAR 220 50  

 

COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
NAMIBIA 220 50  
NAURU 220 50  
NEPAL 220 50  
NETHERLANDS 220 50  
NETHERLAND
ANTILLES
127/220 50  
NEW CALEDONIA 220 50  
NEW HEBRIDES 220 50  
NEW ZEALAND 220 50  
NICARAGUA 110 60  
NIGER *220 50  
NIGERIA 220 50  
NORFOLK
ISLAND
*220 50  
NORTH KOREA 110/220 50/60  
NORTHERN
IRELAND
220 50  
NORWAY 220 50  

 

COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
OKINAWA 110 60  
OMAN 220 50  

 

COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
PAKISTAN 220 50  
PANAMA 110 60  
PAPUA
NEW GUINEA
220 50  
PARAGUAY 220 50  
PERU 110/220 50  
PHILLIPINES 110/220 60  
POLAND 220 50  
POLYNESIA 220 50  
PORTUGAL 220 50  
PUERTO RICO 110 60  
QATAR 220 50  
REUNION 220 50  
ROMANIA 220 50  
RUSSIA 220 50  
RWANDA 220 50  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
ST. KITTS &
NEVIS
220 50  
ST. LUCIA 220 50  
ST. MARTAAN 110/220 50  
ST. PIERRE
MIQULON
220 50  
ST. VINCENT 220 50  
SAMOA
AMERICAN
110/220 50  
SAMOA
WESTERN
220 50  
SAN MARIO 220 50  
SAN TOME &
PRINCIPE
220 50  
SAUDI ARABIA 110/220 50  
SCOTLAND 220 50  
SENEGAL 220 50  
SERBIA 220 50  
SEYCHELLES 220 50  
SIERRA LEONE 220 50  
SINGAPORE 220 50  
SLOVAKIA 220 50  
SLOVENIA 220 50  
SOLOMON IS 220 50  
SOMALIA 110/220 50  
SOUTH AFRICA !220 50  
SOUTH KOREA 110/220 50/60  
SPAIN 220 50  
SRI LANKA 220 50  
SUDAN 220 50  
SURINAM 110 50/60  
SWAZILAND 220 50  
SWEDEN 220 50  
SWITZERLAND 220 50  
SYRIA 220 50  

 

COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
TAJIKISTAN 220 50  
TAHITI 110/220 50  
TAIWAN 110 60  
TANZANIA 220 50  
TASMANIA 220 50  
THAILAND 220 50  
TIBET 220 50  
TOBAGO 110/220 60  
TOGO 220 50  
TONGA 220 60  
TRINIDAD 110/220 60  
TUNISIA 110/220 50  
TURKEY 220 50  
TURKMENISTAN 220 50  
TURKS &
CAICOS ISLANDS
110 60  
TUVALU 220 50  
COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
UGANDA 220 50  
UKRAINE 220 50  
UNITED
ARAB EMIRATES
220 50  
UPPER VOLTA 220 50  
URUGUAY 220 50  
US VIRGIN
ISLANDS
110 60  
USA 110 60  
UZBEKISTAN 220 50  

 

COUNTRY Voltage (V) Cycles (Hz)  
VANUATU 220 60  
VENEZUELA 110 60  
VIETNAM 110/220 50  
VIRGIN ISLANDS
UK
220 60  
VIRGIN ISLANDS
USA
110/220 60  
WALES 220 50  
WESTERN SAMOA 220 50  
YEMEN 220 50  
YUGOSLAVIA 220 50  
ZAIRE 220 50  
ZAMBIA 220 50  
ZIMBABWE 220 50  

The most commonly asked international electricity questions.

Is there a difference between an adapter and a converter or a transformer?

Yes. An adapter allows a dual voltage appliance, converter, or transformer to be plugged into a wall outlet that is different from the pin configuration on the appliance, converter, or transformer. Adapters do not convert electricity. Converters and transformers convert electricity. If your appliance(s) use 110V electricity and you are travelling to one with 220V electricity, you need a "step down" converter or transformer which converts 220V to 110V. If your appliance(s) are 220V and you are travelling to a country with 110V electricity, you need a "step-up" converters or transformer. Walkabout Travel Gear carries step-down converter and transformers, as well as step-up transformers.

What is the difference between a converter and a transformer?

There is a difference. The explanation can get technical, but here is a summary: use converters only with electric appliances such as hairdryers, etc. Use a transformer with anything electronic, such as computers. Also, if your electronics are grounded but sure to use a transformer which is grounded. Walkabout Travel Gear only carries grounded transformers.

Now the technical explanation. Most commercial power generators supply electricity that varies in strength and direction. This is called alternating current and the electricity moves in the shape of a sine wave. The variations in the current are not detected because the changes occur 50 or 60 times a second, depending upon the country. A step down converter turns 220V current into 110V current by cutting these sine waves in half. A step down transformer alters the length of sine waves to create 110V current. Electronic appliances require a full wave and should therefore ONLY be used with a transformer. Electric appliances can operate with either a half wave or an altered wave and can be used with a converter OR a transformer. Transformers are for long term use while converters are not. A converter should not be used longer than is necessary to use the appliance and certainly not longer than 2 hours. Transformers are usually much heavier than converters. While transformers are designed for long-term use, you still should unplug them when not being used.

What are electric appliances?

Electric appliances are simple heating devices and products with mechanical motors. They are generally higher wattage items than electronic appliances. Some electric appliances are hot pots, hair dryers, steam irons, immersion heaters, heating pads, electric blankets, toasters, mixers, blenders, fans, electric knives, coffee grinders and coffee makers (without a timer.) But you never know what has a microchip in it nowadays -- if in doubt, take a transformer.

What are electronic appliances?

Electronic appliances are those with electronic motors, circuits or chips. They are generally lower wattage products than electrical appliances. Some electronic appliances are computers, computer printers, fax machines, radios, stereos, CD players, battery rechargers, shavers, bread makers, VCRs, clocks, answering machines and televisions. It is important to note that in this silicon age, even the most mundane products may have computer chips -- some toasters, for example.

Is the 50/60 cycle difference important?

It can be, depending upon the appliances you are taking. In North, Central and parts South America, as well as scattered other countries, the current alternates 60 times per second. In most the rest of the world, it does so 50 times a second. Converters and transformers do not convert cycles. Many electronic appliances convert the incoming power to DC so the cycle difference is irrelevant. Some electronic appliances, such as analog clocks, turntables, and others with motors will run faster or slower. Microwaves will make a lot of noise, but will work. We cannot be responsible for the effects of the cycle difference, and suggest you check with the manufacturer if in doubt.

Do I need a converter or transformer?

Ask two questions: Is the appliance electric or electronic? What is the wattage of the appliance? A general rule of thumb that can be used to decide whether an appliance is electric or electronic is that straight heating appliances are usually electric and any item with a circuit or a chip is electronic. An electric product can be used with either a converter or a transformer. An electronic appliance MUST be used with a transformer. Microchips are finding there way into even the most basic products so we would recommend a transformer if you are not sure.

Most products will have the Watts (W) printed somewhere on the items themselves. The wattage of an appliance is important in order to determine the size of converter or transformer that is required. Some appliances list only the amps. If so, there's a simple formula for determine the wattage:

 

Volts times Amps = Watts. (V x A = W)

So: if you do not know the watts, but know the amps and that it is a 110 volt appliance, then multiple the amps times the volts. A product that indicates 2 amps will be approximately 220 watts. (2 amps x 110 volts = 220 watts.) It is best to use 125 volts for 110 appliance to give yourself a safety margin.

If an item is marked 110V/220V or 110V/240V, it means that it is dual voltage and a converter or a transformer is NOT required. However, an adapter plug may be needed.

user: anonymous (access:
This site powered by SiteTools 3.0