Why do country calling codes go into the 300s when there are only 190-something countries?

Question

For example, the country I live in is Ireland and the calling code is +353, why is it so high?

In: 1

Answer 1

Some countries only have two digits, or even one (looking at you, USA & Canada). Also, country codes are grouped by region – 2 is Africa, 3 and 4 are Europe, 5 is South America, etc.