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ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 facts for kids

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Have you ever seen a three-letter code that stands for a country, like USA for the United States or CAN for Canada? These are called ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 codes. They are like short nicknames for countries and special areas.

These codes are part of a worldwide standard created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO is an organization that makes sure things like these codes are the same everywhere. This helps people and computers communicate easily across borders. These codes were first introduced in 1974.

You might see these codes on things like machine-readable passports. This helps computers quickly identify where a passport holder is from.

What are the Current Country Codes?

The ISO keeps a list of all the official three-letter codes. Each code matches a country or a special territory. This list helps everyone use the same short names for places around the globe.

Here are a few examples of these codes and the countries they represent:

There are many more codes for almost every country and territory in the world!

Codes You Can Use Yourself

Sometimes, people or companies need to make up their own temporary codes for places that aren't on the official ISO list. The ISO has set aside certain three-letter codes just for this. These are codes like `AAA` to `AAZ`, `QMA` to `QZZ`, `XAA` to `XZZ`, and `ZZA` to `ZZZ`. The ISO will never use these codes for official countries, so you can use them for your own projects without causing confusion.

Reserved Codes: Special Uses

Some codes are "reserved." This means they are not used for new countries in the official list. Instead, they are kept aside for other important uses. This prevents problems between the official list and other systems that might use these codes.

Codes Reserved for Special Reasons

A few codes are reserved because specific organizations asked for them. For example:

  • ASC for Ascension Island: This code is used by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which helps with mail services worldwide.
  • CPT for Clipperton Island: This code is used by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which deals with global communication.
  • FXX for France, Metropolitan: This code was reserved at the request of France itself.

Some codes like GGY (for Guernsey), IMN (for Isle of Man), and JEY (for Jersey) were also reserved for a while. But now, they are part of the main list of official codes.

Codes for Countries That Changed

Some codes are "transitionally reserved." These codes were once official but are now reserved because the country they represented has changed or no longer exists. For example:

  • SCG for Serbia and Montenegro: These two countries are now separate.
  • SUN for U.S.S.R.: This large country no longer exists.
  • YUG for Yugoslavia: This country also no longer exists in its original form.

Codes from Old Road Rules

There are also "indeterminate reservations." These are older codes that were used in international agreements about road traffic. They are kept reserved to avoid any mix-ups with current codes. For example:

One code, ROU, was once used for Uruguay but was later given to Romania.

Codes Not Used for Countries

Some codes are specifically agreed not to be used for countries. These codes are often used in special travel documents, not for identifying countries themselves. For example, codes like GBD or GBN are used for different types of British citizens, not for a country called "GBD" or "GBN."

Old Codes No Longer Used

Over time, countries change names, split up, or merge. Because of this, some ISO codes are no longer used. They have been "withdrawn." For example:

Related Information

  • International Organization for Standardization (ISO): ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency
  • United Nations Statistics Division, Standard Country or Area Codes for Statistical Use
    • CIA World Factbook, Appendix D – Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes (public domain)
  • Statoids, Country codes

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: ISO 3166-1 alfa-3 para niños

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