European license plates may be squished but they're also much wider which require cars to have different bumpers/hatches/tailgates. Other countries on other con

European license plates may be squished but they're also much wider which require cars to have different bumpers/hatches/tailgates. Other countries on other continents (not just Europe) use plates similar in size to North American plates. As for different designs per state/province, it's all about identity and how the states identify as. The size is pretty much standard though.