ISO 3166-1 facts for kids
ISO 3166-1 is a special set of codes that helps identify countries and territories around the world. It's like a secret language that computers and organizations use to quickly know which country is being talked about. This system is part of a bigger set of rules called ISO 3166, created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Imagine you're sending a package or visiting a website. These codes help make sure everything goes to the right place. They give each country or territory a short, easy-to-use code. There are three main types of these codes:
- ISO 3166-1 alpha-2: These are two-letter codes. For example, "US" for the United States or "CA" for Canada. You often see these in internet addresses, like ".uk" for websites in the United Kingdom.
- ISO 3166-1 alpha-3: These codes use three letters. For instance, "USA" for the United States or "CAN" for Canada. These are a bit longer, which can sometimes make it easier to guess the country name from the code.
- ISO 3166-1 numeric: These codes use three numbers, like "840" for the United States. Number codes are super helpful for countries that don't use the Latin alphabet (like English). The United Nations Statistics Division also uses these same number codes.
While ISO 3166-1 is very important, some other international groups might use their own country codes. These codes are often similar to the ISO ones. You can learn more about them on the country codes page.
Contents
How Countries Get Codes
Right now, 244 countries and territories have official ISO 3166-1 codes. For a new country or territory to get its own code, it needs to be officially recognized by the United Nations.
A country or territory must be listed in the United Nations' "Terminology Bulletin Country Names." To be in this bulletin, it needs to be:
- A member country of the United Nations.
- A member of one of the UN's special groups or agencies.
- A party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice.
Once a country or territory appears in these official UN lists, it automatically gets added to the ISO 3166-1 system.
Official Country Codes
The ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency (ISO 3166/MA) keeps track of all the official country codes. They use country names from the United Nations. Below are a few examples from the complete list, showing how different countries are coded.
| Official Country Name | Numeric | Alpha-3 | Alpha-2 | Local ISO codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Afghanistan |
004 | AFG | AF | ISO 3166-2:AF |
 Australia |
036 | AUS | AU | ISO 3166-2:AU |
 Brazil |
076 | BRA | BR | ISO 3166-2:BR |
 Canada |
124 | CAN | CA | ISO 3166-2:CA |
 China |
156 | CHN | CN | ISO 3166-2:CN |
 Egypt |
818 | EGY | EG | ISO 3166-2:EG |
 France |
250 | FRA | FR | ISO 3166-2:FR |
 Germany |
276 | DEU | DE | ISO 3166-2:DE |
 India |
356 | IND | IN | ISO 3166-2:IN |
 Japan |
392 | JPN | JP | ISO 3166-2:JP |
 Mexico |
484 | MEX | MX | ISO 3166-2:MX |
 Nigeria |
566 | NGA | NG | ISO 3166-2:NG |
 Russian Federation |
643 | RUS | RU | ISO 3166-2:RU |
 South Africa |
710 | ZAF | ZA | ISO 3166-2:ZA |
 United Kingdom |
826 | GBR | GB | ISO 3166-2:GB |
 United States |
840 | USA | US | ISO 3166-2:US |
Sometimes, territories change their status. For example, Saint Barthélemy and Saint-Martin used to be part of Guadeloupe. In 2007, they became their own separate areas under France. The ISO then works to give them new official codes.
Special Codes: Reserved and User-Assigned
Besides the main official codes, there are two other types of codes:
- Reserved Codes: These codes are not official ISO 3166-1 codes, but they are kept aside for special uses. For example, if a country's code becomes old or if certain international groups need a specific code, it might be "reserved." This helps keep the system flexible.
- User-Assigned Codes: These are codes that people or organizations can create for their own private use. The ISO will never use these codes for official countries. This allows users to add codes for places or groups that aren't officially recognized by the ISO, but are important for their own work.
How Codes Change
Country codes can change! This usually happens if a country changes its name or if its borders change. If a country's name changes, it often gets new letter codes. If its borders change (meaning its physical area changes), it usually gets a new number code.
The ISO announces these changes in special updates called "newsletters." Since 1997, there have been many updates. For example:
- In 1998, the official name of Samoa changed, and its code was updated.
- In 2002, East Timor changed its name to Timor-Leste, and its codes were updated.
- In 2006, when Serbia and Montenegro split into two separate countries, Montenegro and Serbia each got their own new codes.
All these changes are collected and published in new editions of the ISO 3166-1 standard.
See Also
- ISO 3166-2
- ISO 3166-3
- List of IOC country codes: Codes used by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
- List of FIFA country codes: Codes used by FIFA for soccer.
- Comparison of IOC, FIFA, and ISO 3166 country codes
- Federal Information Processing Standard
See also
In Spanish: ISO 3166-1 para niños
