Day after admittance to UN, South Sudan gets 211 as ‘lucky’ international dialing code

GENEVA – The U.N. telecommunications agency says 211 is South Sudan’s lucky number.

The International Telecommunication Union said Friday it assigned the international dialing code 211 to South Sudan after leaders of the world’s newest nation specifically requested the number as “a symbol of good fortune.” The number represents this year when it gained independence.

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ITU’s secretary-general, Hamadoun Toure, said a country code “may seem like a small thing, but it is a real signifier of sovereignty and independence.”

The Geneva-based agency said being in contact with South Sudanese officials since January enabled it to speed up the process by assigning a country code just one day after South Sudan was admitted as the 193rd member of the United Nations.