ISO 3166-2
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ISO 3166-2 is part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and defines codes for identifying the principal subdivisions (e.g., provinces or states) of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1. Introduced in 1998, this part of the ISO 3166 standard is updated regularly to accommodate changes in national structures or subdivisions.
Overview[edit | edit source]
ISO 3166-2 codes are used for various purposes including the coding of geographical data, simplifying the identification of country subdivisions in data processing and communications. Each code consists of two parts: the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code, followed by a subdivision code. For example, the code for the State of New York in the United States is US-NY, where "US" is the country code for the United States and "NY" is the code for New York.
Structure and Format[edit | edit source]
The format and structure of ISO 3166-2 codes vary, reflecting the administrative structures in the respective countries. The subdivision codes are alphanumeric and up to three characters long. These codes are unique within each country, but not necessarily unique globally.
Updates and Maintenance[edit | edit source]
The ISO 3166/MA (Maintenance Agency) is responsible for maintaining the ISO 3166-2 standard. Updates to the standard are published in newsletters and downloadable databases on the ISO website, reflecting changes such as new subdivisions, name changes, or code modifications.
Usage[edit | edit source]
ISO 3166-2 codes are widely used in international shipping, logistics, and data processing, where standardized codes are required for referencing locations. They are also used in global databases and systems that require uniform identifiers for geopolitical areas below the country level.
Criticism and Limitations[edit | edit source]
While ISO 3166-2 is widely used, it has faced criticism for not being updated frequently enough to reflect rapid changes in administrative divisions in some countries. Additionally, the standard does not cover all administrative divisions in all countries, which can lead to gaps in data representation.
See Also[edit | edit source]
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