ISO 3166-2:GB facts for kids
ISO 3166-2:GB is a special system that gives short codes to different parts of the United Kingdom. Think of it like a unique ID for each area! These codes help people around the world identify specific places within the UK.
The United Kingdom is made up of several main parts, and this system gives codes to their smaller areas:
- England: This includes 34 counties, 32 London boroughs, 36 metropolitan boroughs (city sections), 47 large areas called unitary authorities (like the Isles of Scilly), and the City of London.
- Northern Ireland: It has 26 main subdivisions.
- Scotland: It has 32 council areas.
- Wales: It has 22 unitary authorities.
Even though the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not officially part of the UK, this system still gives them codes that start with "GB-".
Each code begins with "GB", which is the international code for the United Kingdom. The second part is a three-letter code that helps identify the specific place.
Contents
Understanding UK Place Codes
This section shows you some examples of the codes used for different places across the UK. Each code starts with "GB-" for Great Britain, followed by three letters that stand for a specific area.
| Location | Code | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | GB-ABE |
Scotland |
| Isle of Anglesey | GB-AGY |
Wales |
| Antrim | GB-ANT |
Northern Ireland |
| Bath and North East Somerset | GB-BAS |
England |
| Belfast | GB-BFS |
Northern Ireland |
| Birmingham | GB-BIR |
England |
| Brighton and Hove | GB-BNH |
England |
| Bristol, City of | GB-BST |
England |
| Cambridgeshire | GB-CAM |
England |
| Cardiff | GB-CRF |
Wales |
| Cornwall | GB-CON |
England |
| Derby | GB-DER |
England |
| Devon | GB-DEV |
England |
| Dundee | GB-DND |
Scotland |
| Edinburgh | GB-EDH |
Scotland |
| Essex | GB-ESS |
England |
| Fife | GB-FIF |
Scotland |
| Glasgow | GB-GLG |
Scotland |
| Guernsey | GB-GSY |
Channel Islands |
| Hampshire | GB-HAM |
England |
| Isle of Wight | GB-IOW |
England |
| Jersey | GB-JSY |
Channel Islands |
| Kent | GB-KEN |
England |
| Leeds | GB-LDS |
England |
| Leicester | GB-LCE |
England |
| Liverpool | GB-LIV |
England |
| London, City of | GB-LND |
England |
| Manchester | GB-MAN |
England |
| Milton Keynes | GB-MIK |
England |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | GB-NET |
England |
| Newport | GB-NWP |
Wales |
| Norfolk | GB-NFK |
England |
| Nottingham | GB-NGM |
England |
| Oxfordshire | GB-OXF |
England |
| Plymouth | GB-PLY |
England |
| Portsmouth | GB-POR |
England |
| Sheffield | GB-SHF |
England |
| Somerset | GB-SOM |
England |
| Southampton | GB-STH |
England |
| Stirling | GB-STG |
Scotland |
| Swansea | GB-SWA |
Wales |
| Swindon | GB-SWD |
England |
| Warwickshire | GB-WAR |
England |
| Wiltshire | GB-WIL |
England |
| Worcestershire | GB-WOR |
England |
| Wrexham | GB-WRX |
Wales |
| York | GB-YOR |
England |
Welsh Language Codes
Sometimes, places in Wales have both an English and a Welsh name. The ISO system also has special codes for some of these Welsh names. This helps to recognize the local language.
| Code in Welsh | Location in Welsh | Code in English | Location in English |
|---|---|---|---|
GB-POG |
Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr | GB-BGE |
Bridgend |
GB-CAF |
Caerffili | GB-CAY |
Caerphilly |
GB-CRD |
Caerdydd | GB-CRF |
Cardiff |
GB-GFY |
Sir Gaerfyrddin | GB-CMN |
Carmarthenshire |
GB-DDB |
Sir Ddinbych | GB-DEN |
Denbighshire |
GB-FFL |
Sir y Fflint | GB-FLN |
Flintshire |
GB-YNM |
Sir Ynys Môn | GB-AGY |
Isle of Anglesey |
GB-MTU |
Merthyr Tudful | GB-MTY |
Merthyr Tydfil |
GB-FYN |
Sir Fynwy | GB-MON |
Monmouthshire |
GB-CTL |
Castell-nedd Port Talbot | GB-NTL |
Neath Port Talbot |
GB-CNW |
Casnewydd | GB-NWP |
Newport |
GB-BNF |
Sir Benfro | GB-PEM |
Pembrokeshire |
GB-ATA |
Abertawe | GB-SWA |
Swansea |
GB-BMG |
Bro Morgannwg | GB-VGL |
Vale of Glamorgan |
GB-WRC |
Wrecsam | GB-WRX |
Wrexham |
Codes for Larger UK Areas
Besides codes for smaller places, there are also codes for the bigger parts of the United Kingdom. These help to identify the main countries or regions.
GB-UKMUnited KingdomGB-GBNGreat BritainGB-NIRNorthern Ireland
GB-IOMIsle of ManGB-CHAChannel Islands
Related Information
- ISO 3166-2: This is the main list for all country region codes around the world.
- ISO 3166-1: This is the main list for all country codes, like the ones used for website addresses on the internet.
