Area Code 49 – Nantou

Geographic Overview

Area code 49 is a geographic National Destination Code (NDC) assigned to the Nantou County region in central Taiwan. Nantou is the only landlocked county on the island, known for its mountainous terrain, including the scenic Sun Moon Lake and the Hehuanshan peak. The code serves the administrative capital, Nantou City, as well as major townships such as Puli, Caotun, and Jiji. As part of Taiwan's E.164 numbering plan, the country calling code is +886, and the full international dialing format for a Nantou landline is +886 49 X XXX XXX, where the subscriber number typically consists of seven digits after the area code.

Dialing Procedures

Within Taiwan, callers must dial the trunk prefix '0' before the area code when making a domestic long-distance call. Therefore, a call from Taipei to Nantou would be dialed as 049 X XXX XXX. However, when calling from abroad, the leading '0' is omitted, and the international prefix of the originating country is used. For example, from the United States, one would dial 011 886 49 X XXX XXX; from the UK, 00 886 49 X XXX XXX. It is important to note that Taiwan's numbering plan does not use a separate trunk prefix for international calls; the '0' is only used domestically.

Numbering and Overlays

Subscriber numbers in the Nantou area code range from seven digits, and there are no overlay codes currently in effect for this region. This means that local calls within the same area code do not require the area code to be dialed; only the seven-digit subscriber number is used. However, for calls from mobile phones or other regions, the full national number (049 X XXX XXX) is required. The allocation of numbers is managed by the National Communications Commission (NCC) of Taiwan, and fixed-line services are predominantly provided by Chunghwa Telecom, with alternative operators also offering services in the region.

Practical Information for Callers

For international callers, it is essential to verify the correct number of digits, as some older numbers may have fewer digits. Always confirm the complete number with the recipient. When dialing from a mobile phone within Taiwan, the same domestic format (049 X XXX XXX) applies. For travelers, using a local SIM card or VoIP services can reduce costs. Nantou's geographic code is strictly for fixed-line services; mobile numbers in Taiwan use separate prefixes beginning with 09. Therefore, if you are trying to reach a mobile phone in Nantou, you must dial the mobile number with its own prefix, not the 49 area code.