The history of phone area codes in Canada is closely tied to the introduction of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) in 1947, which was created to streamline long-distance dialing across North America. Initially, Canada was assigned three area codes—403 for the western provinces, 613 for eastern Ontario and Quebec, and 416 for Toronto—due to its smaller population and large geographic size. As the country grew, both in population and in its use of telecommunications, the need for additional area codes became apparent. This led to the creation of new area codes through splits and overlays to accommodate increasing demand for phone numbers driven by the rise of mobile phones, the internet, and other technologies. Today, Canada continues to operate under the NANP, with over 40 area codes in use, adapting to the growing communication needs of the nation.