WHY DOES ENGLAND USE A SOUTH AFRICA ADAPTER PLUG?
If you are traveling to the United Kingdom, you will need adapter plugs to charge your cell phone, iPad and power your laptop computer. England uses two types of adapter plugs. One plug is called the United Kindgom plug (GUD) and has three rectangle pins. The other plug used in England is the South Africa plug (GUE) that has three large round pins.
So why does England use a South Africa plug? It is common for countries to have more than one type of outlet. Most areas in England will use the GUD plug, however in some older parts of England you might see an outlet for the GUE plug that is also seen in South Africa.
The reason that South Africa and England share a plug type is because the British Empire controlled South Africa for quite some time. Most likely when you are in England you will encounter the GUD plug, but it is prudent to take along the GUE plug just in case.
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You can purchase England, UK and South Africa travel adapters plugs locally at our flagship travel store at Stanford Shopping Mall in Palo Alto, California. We carry adapter plugs, converters and travel appliances for every country in the world at Going In Style Travel Accessories, 609 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, CA 94304 - Visit the Stanford Travel Store website www.stanfordtravelstore.com for directions Going In Style.