ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are two-letter identifiers for countries, dependent territories, and certain areas of geographical interest. They are also used for country code top-level domains, making them relevant to applications that handle country reference data.
What are ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes?
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are two-letter codes defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). They represent countries, dependent territories, and certain areas of geographical interest (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 - Wikipedia).
The codes were included in the first edition of ISO 3166, published in 1974. They are used for Internet country code top-level domains and are related to other standards, including ISO 3166-2 and ISO 4217 (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 - Wikipedia).
How many alpha-2 codes are listed?
ISO 3166-1 lists 249 officially assigned alpha-2 codes. The ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency maintains the list (ISO 3166-1 - Wikipedia).
For product information about Country Data API, visit the countries page, documentation, or pricing.
How is ISO 3166 organized?
Since 1997, ISO 3166 has been organized into three parts: ISO 3166-1, ISO 3166-2, and ISO 3166-3 (ISO 3166-1 - Wikipedia).
- ISO 3166-1: Country codes, including alpha-2, alpha-3, and numeric formats.
- ISO 3166-2: Codes for country subdivisions.
- ISO 3166-3: Codes for formerly used country names.
Using country codes in applications
When working with country reference data, identify which ISO 3166 format your application expects. ISO 3166-1 includes alpha-2 codes, while the standard also has alpha-3 and numeric formats.
For applications that use country codes alongside subdivision or currency data, the related standards include ISO 3166-2 and ISO 4217.
Frequently asked questions
What are ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes?
They are two-letter codes defined by ISO to represent countries, dependent territories, and certain areas of geographical interest.
How many alpha-2 codes are listed?
ISO 3166-1 lists 249 officially assigned alpha-2 codes, maintained by the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency.
When were the codes first included in ISO 3166?
They were included in the first edition of ISO 3166, published in 1974.
How is ISO 3166 organized?
Since 1997, it has been organized into ISO 3166-1, ISO 3166-2, and ISO 3166-3.
Sources
This article was produced with the help of AI and reviewed for accuracy against the cited sources.