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Country codes are a set of two-letter codes which represent every country of the world, as defined by the International Organization for Standardization in ISO 3166 from 1974 onwards. Starting in the mid-1980s, these codes have been used in domain names on the Internet, where they are referred to as top-level domains (TLDs) or, more specifically, country code top-level domains (ccTLDs). |
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Country codes are short alphabetic or numeric codes developed to represent countries and dependent areas, for use in data processing and communications. Several different systems have been developed to do this. The most famous of these is ISO 3166. ISO 3166 defines two and three-letter country codes, and three-digit numeric codes, for most of the countries and dependent areas in the world. The two-letter codes from ISO 3166 are used as the basis for country code top-level domain names (ccTLDs) on the Internet. (If you are looking for a list of country codes used on the Internet, see Internet ccTLDs.) |
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For example, www.whatever.es is a Spanish web site, because ES is Spain's country code. In this example, ES is the TLD (ccTLD) and whatever is the second-level domain. The www is traditional and if the web server is set up "properly", it might not be necessary, or it could refer to a third-level domain. |
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Other country coding systems in use include the FIPS two-letter country codes used by the US government and in the CIA World Factbook, the coding system for car licenses plates under the 1949 and 1968 United Nations Road Traffic Conventions, and the E.164? international dialling codes developed by the ITU. |
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ISO 3166 also defines three-letter codes and numeric codes, but unlike the two-letter codes they are not used for Internet domain names and are generally less well known. There are also other country coding systems in use: for example the FIPS two-letter country codes used by the US government and in the CIA World Factbook. The two-letter ISO 3166 codes form the first two letters of the three-letter ISO standard codes for currencies. There are also several other currency codes defined by the ISO standard beginning with X, connected with international currency unions (e.g. the BCEAO) and with other currency-like assets (gold (XAU), SDRs). The Euro however gets the code EUR, and therefore EU is reserved under ISO 3166 to refer to the European Union. There are also plans to establish a European Union ccTLD using that code. The following is intended to be a complete list of current ISO 3166 two-letter codes. Some codes are used as ccTLDs even though not ISO 3166 codes (namely AC, GG, IM, JE, SU and UK); these will be found in the reserved code elements list which follows, and further information on them can be found in the top-level domain article. Note that AA, ZZ and the ranges QM-QZ and XA-XZ are reserved for private use. In addition, OO is designated as an escape code. If a country code cannot be found in the list then it is probably obsolete, in which case it should be found in the list of obsolete country codes. AD - Andorra AE - United Arab Emirates AF - Afghanistan AG - Antigua and Barbuda AI - Anguilla (AI previously represented French Afars and Issas) AL - Albania AM - Armenia AN - Netherlands Antilles AO - Angola AQ - Antarctica (defined here as everything south of latitude 60°S) AR - Argentina AS - American Samoa AT - Austria AU - Australia (including Ashmore and Cartier Islands and Coral Sea Islands) AW - Aruba AZ - Azerbaijan BA - Bosnia and Herzegovina BB - Barbados BD - Bangladesh BE - Belgium BF - Burkina Faso BG - Bulgaria BH - Bahrain BI - Burundi BJ - Benin BM - Bermuda BN - Brunei Darussalam BO - Bolivia BR - Brazil BS - Bahamas BT - Bhutan BV - Bouvet Island BW - Botswana BY - Belarus BZ - Belize CA - Canada CC - Cocos (Keeling) Islands CD - Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) CF - Central African Republic CG - Republic of the Congo CH - Switzerland (Confoederatio Helvetica) CI - Côte d'Ivoire, a.k.a. Ivory Coast CK - Cook Islands CL - Chile CM - Cameroon CN - China CO - Colombia CR - Costa Rica CU - Cuba CV - Cape Verde CX - Christmas Island CY - Cyprus CZ - Czech Republic DE - Germany (Deutschland) DJ - Djibouti DK - Denmark DM - Dominica DO - Dominican Republic DZ - Algeria EC - Ecuador EE - Estonia EG - Egypt EH - Western Sahara (not currently a TLD) ER - Eritrea ES - Spain (España) ET - Ethiopia FI - Finland FJ - Fiji FK - Falkland Islands FM - Federated States of Micronesia FO - Faroe Islands FR - France GA - Gabon GB - United Kingdom (with Isle of Man and Channel Islands; the primary ccTLD is UK, which is not an ISO 3166 code) GD - Grenada GE - Georgia (GE previously represented the Gilbert and Ellis Islands) GF - French Guiana GH - Ghana GI - Gibraltar GL - Greenland GM - Gambia GN - Guinea GP - Guadeloupe GQ - Equatorial Guinea GR - Greece GS - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands GT - Guatemala GU - Guam GW - Guinea-Bissau GY - Guyana HK - Hong Kong HM - Heard Island and McDonald Islands HN - Honduras HR - Croatia (Hrvatska) HT - Haiti HU - Hungary ID - Indonesia IE - Ireland IL - Israel IN - India IO - British Indian Ocean Territory IQ - Iraq IR - Iran IS - Iceland IT - Italy JM - Jamaica JO - Jordan JP - Japan KE - Kenya KG - Kyrgyzstan KH - Cambodia KI - Kiribati KM - Comoros KN - Saint Kitts and Nevis KP - North Korea (not currently a TLD) KR - South Korea KW - Kuwait KY - Cayman Islands KZ - Kazakhstan LA - Laos LB - Lebanon LC - Saint Lucia LI - Liechtenstein LK - Sri Lanka LR - Liberia LS - Lesotho LT - Lithuania LU - Luxembourg LV - Latvia LY - Libya MA - Morocco MC - Monaco MD - Moldova MG - Madagascar MH - Marshall Islands MK - Macedonia ML - Mali MM - Myanmar MN - Mongolia MO - Macau MP - Northern Mariana Islands MQ - Martinique MR - Mauritania MS - Montserrat MT - Malta MU - Mauritius MV - Maldives MW - Malawi MX - Mexico MY - Malaysia MZ - Mozambique NA - Namibia NC - New Caledonia NE - Niger NF - Norfolk Island NG - Nigeria NI - Nicaragua NL - Netherlands NO - Norway NP - Nepal NR - Nauru NU - Niue NZ - New Zealand OM - Oman PA - Panama PE - Peru PF - French Polynesia (with Clipperton Island) PG - Papua New Guinea PH - Philippines PK - Pakistan PL - Poland PM - Saint Pierre and Miquelon PN - Pitcairn Islands PR - Puerto Rico PS - Occupied Palestinian Territories (i.e., West Bank and Gaza Strip) PT - Portugal PW - Palau PY - Paraguay QA - Qatar RE - Reunion RO - Romania RU - Russia RW - Rwanda SA - Saudi Arabia SB - Solomon Islands SC - Seychelles SD - Sudan SE - Sweden SG - Singapore SH - Saint Helena (including Ascension Island and other dependencies) SI - Slovenia SJ - Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands SK - Slovakia (SK previously represented Sikkim) SL - Sierra Leone SM - San Marino SN - Senegal SO - Somalia SR - Suriname ST - Sao Tome and Principe SV - El Salvador SY - Syria SZ - Swaziland TC - Turks and Caicos Islands TD - Chad TF - French Southern and Antarctic Lands TG - Togo TH - Thailand TJ - Tajikistan TK - Tokelau TM - Turkmenistan TN - Tunisia TO - Tonga TP - East Timor TR - Turkey TT - Trinidad and Tobago TV - Tuvalu TW - Taiwan TZ - Tanzania UA - Ukraine UG - Uganda UM - United States Minor Outlying Islands US - United States of America UY - Uruguay UZ - Uzbekistan VA - Vatican City State VC - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines VE - Venezuela VG - British Virgin Islands VI - U.S. Virgin Islands VN - Vietnam VU - Vanuatu WF - Wallis and Futuna WS - Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) YE - Yemen YT - Mayotte YU - Yugoslavia (that is, Serbia and Montenegro) ZA - South Africa ZM - Zambia ZW - Zimbabwe The reserved code elements list, as of 2001-02-13, is as follows: *Transitionally reserved alpha-2 code elements **BU - Burma (now Myanmar, MM) **CS - Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic, CZ, and Slovakia, SK) **NT - Neutral Zone **SF - Finland (now FI) **SU - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (several successor codes; still used as ccTLD) **ZR - Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo, CD) *Indeteminately reserved alpha-2 code elements: **DY - Benin (notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 and/or 1968 Road Traffic Conventions) **EW - Estonia (notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 and/or 1968 Road Traffic Conventions) **FL - Liechtenstein (in use for road transport purposes, but not notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 Road Traffic Convention) **JA - Jamaica (1949 Road Traffic Convention) **LF - Libya Fezzan (in use for road transport purposes, but not notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 Road Traffic Convention) **LT - Libya Tripoli (in use for road transport purposes, but not notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 Road Traffic Convention) **ME - Western Sahara (in use for road transport purposes, but not notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 Road Traffic Convention) **PI - Philipines? (1949 Road Traffic Convention) **RA - Argentina (1949 Road Traffic Convention) **RB - Bolivia (in use for road transport purposes, but not notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 Road Traffic Convention) **RB - Botwswana? (1949 Road Traffic Convention) **RC - China (1949 Road Traffic Convention) **RH - Haiti (notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 and/or 1968 Road Traffic Conventions) **RI - Indonesia (1949 Road Traffic Convention) **RL - Lebanon (1949 Road Traffic Convention) **RM - Madagascar (1949 Road Traffic Convention) **RN - Niger (1968 Road Traffic Convention) **RP - Philipines? (1968 Road Traffic Convention) **RU - Burundi (in use for road transport purposes, but not notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 Road Traffic Convention) **WG - Grenada (notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 and/or 1968 Road Traffic Conventions) **WL - Saint Lucia (notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 and/or 1968 Road Traffic Conventions) **WV - [Saint Vincent]? (notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 and/or 1968 Road Traffic Conventions) **YV - Venezuela (notified to United Nations Secretary-General under 1949 and/or 1968 Road Traffic Conventions) *Exceptionally reserved alpha-2 code elements **AC - Ascension Island - Reserved on request of UPU (also used as ccTLD) **AX - Åland - Reserved on request of Finland **CP - Clipperton Island - Reserved on request of ITU **DG - Diego Garcia - Reserved on request of ITU **EA - Ceuta and Melilla - Reserved on request of WCO to represent area outside EU customs territory **EU - European Union - originally requested by ISO 4217 MA to provide country code for Euro; later extended for use in ISO 6166 International Securities Identification Numbering (ISIN) system; later extended by ISO 3166 MA for use for any purposes for which code EU required **FX - Metropolitan France - reserved on request of France **GG - Guernsey - reserved on request of UPU; also used as ccTLD **IC - Canary Islands - reserved on request of WCO to represent area outside EU customs territory **IM - Isle of Man - reserved on request of UPU, also used as ccTLD **JE - Jersey - reserved on request of UPU, also used as ccTLD **TA - Tristan da Cunha - reserved on request of UPU **UK - United Kingdom - reserved on request of United Kingdom, to prevent any other country from using code UK; also used as ccTLD In addition, the ISO 3166 MA has undertaken, for the time being, not to use the following alpha-2 codes from WIPO Standard ST.3: *AP - African Regional Industrial Property Organization *BX - Benelux Trademarks and Design Offices *EF - Union of Countries under the European Community Patent Convention *EM - European Trademark Office *EP - European Patent Organization *GC - Patent Office of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) *IB - International Bureau of WIPO *OA - African Intellectual Property Organization *WO - World Intellectual Property Organization In addition, WIPO Standard ST.3 also uses EA to code the Eurasian Patent Organization. However, ISO 3166 MA has stated it cannot guarantee to reserve the code EA from use, since it is already used for customs purposes to represent Ceuta and Melilla. ISO 3166 MA proposed in 1995 that EV be used by WIPO for the purpose of representing the Eurasian Patent Organization; however, this request was not honoured by WIPO. Alpha-3 codesThe following alpha-3 codes currently exist in the ISO 3166 standard: *.... The following alpha-3 codes are subject to a transitional reservation: *BUR - Burma, now Myanmar *BYS - Byelorussian SSR, now Belarus *CSK - Czechoslovakia, now Czech Republic and Slovakia *NTZ - Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone *ZAR - Zaire The following three letter codes are subject to an indeterminate reservation, having been notified to the United Nations Secretary-General under the 1949 and/or 1968 Road Transport Conventions: *ADN - Aden *BDS - Barbados *BRU - Brunei *CDN - Canada *EAK - Kenya *EAT - Taganyika? *EAU - Uganda *EAZ - Zanzibar *GBA - Alderney? *GBG - Guernsey *GBJ - Jersey *GBM - Isle of Man *GBZ - Gibraltar *GCA - Guatemala *HKJ - Jordan *MAL - Malaysia *RCA - Central African Republic *RCB - People's Republic of Congo *RCH - Chile *RMM - Mali *RNR - Zambia *ROK - South Korea *ROU - Uruguay *RSR - Southern Rhodesia *RSM - San Marino *SLO - Slovenia *SME - Suriname *TMN - Turkmenistan *WAG - Gambia *WAL - Sierra Leone *ZRE - Zaire The following alpha-3 code elements are subject to an exceptional reservation: *ASC - Ascension Island - reserved for UPU, also used by ITU *CPT - Clipperton Island - reserved for ITU *DGA - Diego Garcia - reserved for ITU *FXX - Metropolitan France - reserved on behalf of France *GGY - Guernsey - reserved for UPU *IMN - Isle of Man - reserved for UPU *JEY - Jersey - reserved for UPU *TAA - Tristan da Cunha - reserved for UPU For the time being, ISO 3166 MA has agreed not to use the following codes, taken from ISO/IEC 7501-1 (Machine readable travel documents), as alpha-3 country codes: *GBD - British Dependent Territories Citizen *GBN - British National (Overseas) *GBO - British Overseas Citizen *GBP - British Protected Person *GBS - British Subject *UNO - United Nations Official *UNA - United Nations Specialized Agency Official *UNK - Kosovo resident, issued travel document by UNMIK External links: *The ISO 3166/MA-Secretariat keeps an updated list of ISO 3166 two-letter codes at http://www.din.de/gremien/nas/nabd/iso3166ma/codlstp1/en_listp1.html. *http://www.davros.org/misc/iso3166.html has a list of ISO 3166 codes (including three-letter and numeric codes), and includes information about changes that have been made over the years. Sources: Information on reserved codes taken from "Reserved code elements under ISO 3166-1" published by Secretariat of ISO/TC 46, ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency, 2001-02-13, available on request from ISO 3166 MA. |
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The developers of ISO 3166 intended that in time it would replace other coding systems in existence. It is used as the basis for many other standards, in areas such as currency codes, bank account numbers, securities numbers and location coding. |
Other country coding systems in use include the FIPS two-letter country codes used by the US government and in the CIA World Factbook, the coding system for car licenses plates under the 1949 and 1968 United Nations Road Traffic Conventions, and the E.164? international dialling codes developed by the ITU.
The developers of ISO 3166 intended that in time it would replace other coding systems in existence. It is used as the basis for many other standards, in areas such as currency codes, bank account numbers, securities numbers and location coding.
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