Power outlets - Which to use where and when

I'm sure almost everyone has run into this issue, anytime you wanna travel a bit further than just your neighboring country. Usually, when I talk about some trip or destination, I tend to mention which power outlet is being used in that country. Today I am briging you some kind of a list of various types of power outlets and their usage throughout the world. Hope you find it useful :)

Before I begin, I would like to point out that this in any means isn't the complete list and it is possible that various outlets can be used throughout one country. Also note that in many hotels, you can find several types of these outlets as a kind of a service for travelers. Also, nowadays, I believe that you may find standard USB outlets in most modern hotels which cancels the need for adapters completely. But anyway, let's take a look.

Type A  & B
This outlet is used mostly in North America (USA, Canada, Japan). It consists of two thin flat pins of the same size (although in newer versions one of them is slightly larger ensuring you plug it correctly).
Type A is not grounded version, while Type B has one more grounding pin. Therefore, you can plug Type A into the Type B socket, but not viceversa.
Here comes the full list of countries that use or may use this type (where it is prominent, it's high lightened):
Antilles, American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, PRC, Aruba, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Philippines, Greenland, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan, Jemen, Cambodia, Canada, Columbia, South Korea, Costa Rica, Cuba, Laos, Liberia, Libanon, Maldives, Mexico, Micronesia, Niger, Nikaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Salvador, Singappore St. Vincent and Grenadines, Tahiti, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam. 

Type G
Used most prominently in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malaysia and some Commonwealth nations. It consists of three thick rectangular pins in triangular setting, one live, one neutral and one grounding. There is usually also a manual safety shutter that needs to be open in order for the stream to flow.
Here comes the full list of countries that use or may use this type (where it is prominent, it's high lightened):
PRC, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, the Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Jemen, Jordan, Cambodia, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Cyprus, Lebanon, Macao, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Myanmar, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Salvador, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, UAE, Tanzania, Uganda, UK, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Type C & D

This is basically the general Europlug. It is used in most European countries. It consists of two 4,8 mm pins set 19 mm apart. No grounding or other pins (at least for Type C - Type G has one more grounding type). Type C plugs are so universal that with a bit of luck you can plug it into just any socket, but without problem it is compatible with C, D, E and F. 

Makes no point to list all the countries with this socket - basically the whole Europe (except the ones mentioned above) and some Asian countries. 

Type E and F

Looks quite similar to the previous types, but it has an additional grounding hole in case of Type E that matches the male earthing pin in the socket, or earth clips on both sides of the plug in case of Type F (also know as Schuko).

Type E can be used in countries of the central Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland) while Type F is more prominent in German speaking countries (Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Lichtenstein). 

Type I 

Consists of two flat pins in the V shape as well as one grounding pin. This outlet is mostly used in Australia and New Zealand. 

In conclusion

If you plan on traveling through Europe, a standard C outlet will be enough while it is compatible with C, D, E and F sockets and also can be plugged in G socket if absolutely necessary. If you intend to insert the UK or Ireland into your travels however, it may be a good idea to have a G outlet  adapter. 

North America is also quite consistent, type A should suffice throughout the whole continent, while in the South it may be good to he a standard non grounded C outlet with you. Also check the supported voltage on your laptop / smartphone, although most of the standard ones should be supported on modern devices. 

In Asia, all of the three types (A, C, G) are used quite balanced and really depends country to country. 

Hope you find this article helpful and look forward to the next one :)

Lex