# Country code > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Country_code > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Country_code.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_code > Source revision: 1331725441 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Identification code for countries}} A '''country code''' is a short alphanumeric identification code for countries and dependent areas. Its primary use is in [data processing](/source/data_processing) and [communication](/source/communication)s. Several identification systems have been developed. The term ''country code'' frequently refers to [ISO 3166-1 alpha-2](/source/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2), as well as the telephone country code, which is embodied in the [E.164](/source/E.164) recommendation by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). ==ISO 3166-1== The standard [ISO 3166-1](/source/ISO_3166-1) defines short identification codes for most countries and dependent areas: *[ISO 3166-1 alpha-2](/source/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2): two-letter code *[ISO 3166-1 alpha-3](/source/ISO_3166-1_alpha-3): three-letter code *[ISO 3166-1 numeric](/source/ISO_3166-1_numeric): three-digit code The two-letter codes are used as the basis for other codes and applications, for example, *for [ISO 4217](/source/ISO_4217) [currency](/source/currency) codes *with deviations, for [country code top-level domain](/source/country_code_top-level_domain) names (ccTLDs) on the Internet: [list of Internet TLDs](/source/list_of_Internet_TLDs). Other applications are defined in [ISO 3166-1 alpha-2](/source/ISO_3166-1_alpha-2). ==ITU== ===Telephone country codes=== {{main|Telephone country code}} {{See also|List of telephone country codes}} Telephone country codes are [telephone number](/source/telephone_number) prefixes for [international direct dialing](/source/international_direct_dialing) (IDD), a system for reaching subscribers in foreign areas via international telecommunication networks. Country codes are defined by the [International Telecommunication Union](/source/International_Telecommunication_Union) (ITU) in [ITU-T](/source/ITU-T) standards [E.123](/source/E.123) and [E.164](/source/E.164). Country codes constitute the international [telephone numbering plan](/source/telephone_numbering_plan). They are dialed before the national telephone number of a destination in a foreign country or area, but typically require at least one additional prefix, the [international call prefix](/source/International_direct_dialing) which is an exit code from the national numbering plan to the international one. ITU standards recommend the digit sequence ''00'' for the prefix, and most countries comply. ===Other ITU codes=== The ITU also maintains the following other country codes: * The [E.212](/source/International_mobile_subscriber_identity) [mobile country codes](/source/mobile_country_codes) (MCC), for mobile/wireless phone addresses. * The [ITU prefix](/source/ITU_prefix), the first few characters of [call sign](/source/call_sign)s of radio and television stations (maritime, aeronautical, broadcasting, and other types) to identify their country of origin ** [ITU prefix - amateur and experimental stations](/source/ITU_prefix_-_amateur_and_experimental_stations), specific prefixes for [amateur](/source/amateur_radio) and experimental radio use, so that operators can be identified by their country of origin. These prefixes are legally administered by the national entity to which prefix ranges are assigned. * [Maritime identification digits](/source/Maritime_identification_digits), to identify countries in maritime mobile radio transmissions. * [ITU letter codes](/source/ITU_letter_codes), to identify ITU member-countries. ==Other country codes== {{dynamic list}} The developers of ISO 3166 intended that in time it would replace other coding systems. ===Other general-purpose systems=== * '''[FIPS country codes](/source/List_of_FIPS_country_codes)''': [Federal Information Processing Standard](/source/Federal_Information_Processing_Standard) (FIPS) [10-4](/source/FIPS_10-4) defined two-letter codes used by the [U.S. government](/source/U.S._government) and in the [CIA World Factbook](/source/CIA_World_Factbook). On September 2, 2008, FIPS 10-4 was one of ten standards withdrawn by [NIST](/source/NIST) as a Federal Information Processing Standard.{{cite journal |journal= Federal Register |date= Sep 2, 2008 |volume= 73 |issue= 170 |page= 51276 |id= E8-20138 |url= https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2008/09/02/E8-20138/announcing-approval-of-the-withdrawal-of-ten-federal-information-processing-standards-fips |title= Announcing Approval of the Withdrawal of Ten Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) }} * '''[GOST 7.67](/source/GOST_7.67)''': country codes in [Cyrillic](/source/Cyrillic) from the [GOST](/source/GOST) standards committee. * '''[NATO country codes](/source/List_of_NATO_country_codes)''': [North Atlantic Treaty Organization](/source/North_Atlantic_Treaty_Organization) (NATO) initially used two-letter codes largely borrowed from the FIPS 10-4 codes mentioned above. In 2003, the eighth edition of the Standardisation Agreement ([STANAG](/source/STANAG)) adopted the ISO 3166 three-letter codes with one exception (the code for Macedonia). With the ninth edition, NATO is transitioning to four- and six-letter codes based on ISO 3166 with a few exceptions and additions. * The '''[first-level](/source/First-level_NUTS_of_the_European_Union)''' of the [Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics](/source/Nomenclature_of_Territorial_Units_for_Statistics) of the [European Union](/source/European_Union), mostly focusing on EU member states. * '''[UNDP country codes](/source/List_of_UNDP_country_codes)''', used by the [United Nations Development Programme](/source/United_Nations_Development_Programme) (UNDP). * '''[World Area Codes](/source/World_Area_Codes)''', used by the [Bureau of Transportation Statistics](/source/Bureau_of_Transportation_Statistics), part of the [United States Department of Transportation](/source/United_States_Department_of_Transportation). ===Business=== * '''[GS1 country codes](/source/List_of_GS1_country_codes)''', defined by the nonprofit international organization [GS1](/source/GS1) for its [Global Trade Item Number](/source/Global_Trade_Item_Number) (GTIN) and other standards for barcodes and the corresponding issue company prefixes. * '''[WIPO ST.3](/source/WIPO_ST.3)''', defined by [World Intellectual Property Organization](/source/World_Intellectual_Property_Organization) (WIPO) to identify both countries and regional intellectual property organizations. ===Sport=== * '''[IOC country codes](/source/List_of_IOC_country_codes)''', defined by the [International Olympic Committee](/source/International_Olympic_Committee) (IOC) to identify member countries, specifically [National Olympic Committee](/source/National_Olympic_Committee)s. * '''[FIFA country codes](/source/List_of_FIFA_country_codes)''', to identify member and non-member countries of [FIFA](/source/FIFA) (Fédération Internationale de Football Association). ===Transport=== * '''[International vehicle registration code](/source/International_vehicle_registration_code)s''', under the 1949 [Geneva Convention on Road Traffic](/source/Geneva_Convention_on_Road_Traffic) and the 1968 [Vienna Convention on Road Traffic](/source/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Traffic) to identify the country that issued a motor vehicle's [vehicle registration plate](/source/vehicle_registration_plate). ** [Diplomatic license plates in the United States](/source/Diplomatic_license_plates_in_the_United_States), issued by the [U.S. State Department](/source/United_States_Department_of_State) to accredited diplomats, include a two-letter country code to identify that representative's country. * '''[ICAO aircraft registration prefixes](/source/List_of_aircraft_registration_prefixes)''', defined by the [International Civil Aviation Organization](/source/International_Civil_Aviation_Organization) (ICAO) to identify an aircraft's country of registration. * '''[ICAO airport code](/source/ICAO_airport_code) prefixes''', defined by the ICAO to identify an airport's country. * '''[UIC country codes](/source/List_of_UIC_country_codes)''', to identify members of the [International Union of Railways](/source/International_Union_of_Railways) (UIC). ===Other specific-purpose codes=== * '''[Country code top-level domain](/source/Country_code_top-level_domain)''' (ccTLD), an Internet [top-level domain](/source/top-level_domain). Originally defined by the [Internet Assigned Numbers Authority](/source/Internet_Assigned_Numbers_Authority) (IANA), it was initially based on ISO 3166-1 alpha-2. * '''[World Meteorological Organization](/source/World_Meteorological_Organization)''' (WMO) maintains its own list of country codes in reporting meteorological observations. ==Other codings== Country identities may be encoded in the following coding systems: *The initial digits of [International Standard Book Number](/source/International_Standard_Book_Number)s (ISBN) are group identifiers for countries, areas, or language regions. ==Lists of country codes by country== [A](/source/Country_codes%3A_A) - [B](/source/Country_codes%3A_B) - [C](/source/Country_codes%3A_C) - [D–E](/source/Country_codes%3A_D%E2%80%93E) - [F](/source/Country_codes%3A_F) - [G](/source/Country_codes%3A_G) - [H–I](/source/Country_codes%3A_H%E2%80%93I) - [J–K](/source/Country_codes%3A_J%E2%80%93K) - [L](/source/Country_codes%3A_L) - [M](/source/Country_codes%3A_M) - [N](/source/Country_codes%3A_N) - [O–Q](/source/Country_codes%3A_O%E2%80%93Q) - [R](/source/Country_codes%3A_R) - [S](/source/Country_codes%3A_S) - [T](/source/Country_codes%3A_T) - [U–Z](/source/Country_codes%3A_U%E2%80%93Z) ==See also== *[Language code](/source/Language_code) *[Numbering scheme](/source/Numbering_scheme) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/codes/country.htm Comparison of various systems] *Another comparison: {{statoids|id=wab|title=Country Codes}} *A comparison with [https://web.archive.org/web/20100613013243/http://maurits.myweb.uga.edu/CountryCodes.xls ISO, IFS and others] with [https://web.archive.org/web/20100613013156/http://maurits.myweb.uga.edu/CountryCodesSourcebook.txt notes] *[http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49alpha.htm United Nations Region Codes] {{Telecommunications}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Country Code}} Category:Country codes Category:Geocodes --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Country code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_code) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_code?action=history)). 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