# SOIUSA code

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{{main|SOIUSA}}
'''SOIUSA code''' is the [code](/source/code) used in the [International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps](/source/SOIUSA) (ISMSA or SOIUSA), a proposal by Italian Alpinist, Sergio Marazzi, to re-[categorize](/source/Categorization) the [mountain](/source/mountain)s and [mountain range](/source/mountain_range)s of the [Alps](/source/Alps). The proposal has been aired since 2005 but has yet to receive official recognition.

== SOIUSA groups' hierarchy==
right|thumb|350px|SOIUSA pyramid showing its groups' hierarchy.
[SOIUSA](/source/SOIUSA) divides the [Alps](/source/Alps) in two main regions, the [Western Alps](/source/Western_Alps) and [Eastern Alps](/source/Eastern_Alps).
These two main regions are further divided in: 
*5 major sectors (SR);
*36 sections (SZ);
*132 subsections (STS);
*333 supergroups (SPG);
*870 groups (GR);
*1625 subgroups (STG).

Using this system, any Alpine [mountain](/source/mountain) can be given a code which shows which region, sector, section, subsection, supergroup, group and subgroup it belongs to.

==Encoding==
SOIUSA code is built in the following way:
* 2 main parts:
** [Western Alps](/source/Western_Alps) are identified by [roman numeral](/source/roman_numeral) '''I''';
** [Eastern Alps](/source/Eastern_Alps) are identified by roman numeral '''II''';
* 5 major sectors:
** in [Western Alps](/source/Western_Alps):
*** South-western Alps are identified by upper-case letter '''A''';
*** North-western Alps are identified by upper-case letter '''B''';
** in [Eastern Alps](/source/Eastern_Alps):
*** [Central Eastern Alps](/source/Central_Eastern_Alps) are identified by upper-case letter '''A''';
*** [Northern Limestone Alps](/source/Northern_Limestone_Alps) are identified by upper-case letter '''B''';
*** [Southern Limestone Alps](/source/Southern_Limestone_Alps) are identified by lower-case letter '''C''';
* 36 sections: identified by [numbers](/source/Arabic_numerals) from 1 to 36 starting from [Ligurian Alps](/source/Ligurian_Alps) and ending with [Slovenian prealps](/source/Slovenian_prealps);
* 132 subsections: identified in their own section  by the [roman numeral](/source/roman_numeral)s needed to count every subsection;
* 333 supergroups: identified in their own subsection by all the upper-case letters needed to count every supergroup;
* 870 groups: identified in their own  supergroup by all the [numbers](/source/Arabic_numerals) needed to count every group;
* 1625 subgroups: identified in their own group by all the lower-case letters needed to count every subgroup.

Following these rules and using the punctuation marks ('''/'''; '''-'''; '''.'''; '''-'''; '''.''' and '''.''') a summit will be encoded in the following way:

''roman numeral'' (I or II) '''/''' ''upper-case letter'' (A, B or C) '''-''' ''number from 1 to 36'' '''.''' ''roman numeral'' '''-''' ''upper-case letter'' '''.''' ''number'' '''.''' ''lower-case letter''

In some case the final lower-case letter can be missing because some group is not divided into subgroups. <br>
It can seldom happen (i.e.:[Monte Tagliaferro](/source/Monte_Tagliaferro)) that a subgroup too is further divided in sectors; in that case the last lower-case letter is followed by a slash (''/'') and a second lower-case letter.

==Encoding example==

<div style="float:right; width:45%;">
{{window
  |title=SOIUSA parameters of <br> [pointe Sommeiller](/source/pointe_Sommeiller) ([Fr](/source/French_language)) /<br> [punta Sommeiller](/source/punta_Sommeiller) ([It](/source/Italian_language))
  |content=
* main part = [Western Alps](/source/Western_Alps)
* major sector = South Western Alps
* section = [Cottian Alps](/source/Cottian_Alps)
* subsection = Northern Cottian Alps
* supergroup = chaîne Bernaude-Pierre Menue-Ambin ([Fr](/source/French_language)) /<br> catena Bernauda-Pierre Menue-Ambin ([It](/source/Italian_language))
* group = [groupe d'Ambin](/source/Ambin_group) ([Fr](/source/French_language)) /<br> [gruppo d'Ambin](/source/Ambin_group) ([It](/source/Italian_language))
* subgroup = crête Sommeiller-Vallonetto ([Fr](/source/French_language)) / sottogruppo Sommeiller-Vallonetto ([It](/source/Italian_language))
* code = I/A-4.III-B.6.b
  |col3=Black         <!-- Colore del testo del titolo del box -->
  |col1=lightblue<!-- Colore dello sfondo del titolo del box -->
  |col2=white}}
</div>

[Pointe Sommeiller](/source/Pointe_Sommeiller) ([Fr](/source/French_language)) / [Punta Sommeiller](/source/Punta_Sommeiller) ([It](/source/Italian_language)) code is:

''' I/A-4.III-B.6.b'''

It can be decoded in the following way:
* '''I''': the mountain belongs to ''[Western Alps](/source/Western_Alps)'',
* '''A''': the mountain belongs to ''South Western Alps'',
* '''4''': the mountain belongs to ''[Cottian Alps](/source/Cottian_Alps)'',
* '''III''': the mountain belongs to ''Northern Cottian Alps'' (which are the third out of three subsections belonging to Cottian Alps),
* '''B''': the mountain belongs to ''chaîne Bernaude-Pierre Menue-Ambin'' ([Fr](/source/French_language)) / ''catena Bernauda-Pierre Menue-Ambin'' ([It](/source/Italian_language)) (which is the second out of two supergroups belonging to Northern Cottian Alps),
* '''6''': the mountain belongs to ''[groupe d'Ambin](/source/Ambin_group)'' ([Fr](/source/French_language)) / ''[gruppo d'Ambin](/source/Ambin_group)'' ([It](/source/Italian_language)) (which is the sixth out of six groups belonging to Bernaude-Pierre Menue-Ambin supergroup),
* '''b''': the mountain belongs to a subgroup called ''crête Sommeiller-Vallonetto'' ([Fr](/source/French_language)) / ''sottogruppo Sommeiller-Vallonetto'' ([It](/source/Italian_language))  (which is the second out of three subgroups belonging to Ambin group).

==References==
* {{cite book  | last =  Marazzi  | first = Sergio  | title = Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA  | publisher = Priuli & Verlucca  | year = 2005  | language = it   | isbn = 978-88-8068-273-8 }}

{{SOIUSA sections of the Alps}}

Category:Alps
Category:Encodings

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [SOIUSA code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOIUSA_code) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SOIUSA_code?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.