Area codes in Germany (German: Vorwahl) have two to five digits. In addition, the prefix digit 0 must be dialed when calling from within Germany, and must be omitted when calling from abroad. When calling via fixed networks within the same area, the area code is not required. In general, shorter area codes are assigned to larger cities, and longer area codes to smaller towns. Private telephone numbers are usually inversely long: those in larger cities have seven or eight digits, while those in smaller towns may have as few as three or four digits. The first digit (after the leading zero) is determined by region: area codes beginning with 2 are found in the west, those with 3 in the east, those with 4 in the north, those with 5 in the north central part, those with 6 in the south central pa