ISO 3166-1 Alpha-2 Country Codes Quiz and Flashcards

What are ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes used for?

When were ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes first included in the ISO 3166 standard?

How many officially assigned ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are there?

What is the WIPO coding standard ST.3 based on?

Which two-letter code is used to represent Greece by the European Commission?

What are the reserved codes in ISO 3166-1 alpha-2?

What is the United Nations' use of ISO 3166-1 codes?

What are IETF language tags partially derived from?

Have any alpha-2 codes been deleted from ISO 3166-1?

ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are two-letter country codes used to represent countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. They are widely used for country code top-level domains and postal codes. The codes were first included in the ISO 3166 standard in 1974. ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are used in the Domain Name System as country code top-level domains, but with a few exceptions. The WIPO coding standard ST.3 is based on ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes, but includes a number of additional codes for international intellectual property organizations. The European Commission generally uses ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes with two exceptions: EL (not GR) is used to represent Greece, and UK (not GB) is used to represent the United Kingdom. The United Nations uses a combination of ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 and alpha-3 codes, along with codes that pre-date the creation of ISO 3166, for international vehicle registration codes. IETF language tags are partially derived from ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes. There are 249 officially assigned ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes, with some codes designated as user-assigned and others reserved. The reserved codes include exceptional reservations, transitional reservations, indeterminate reservations, and codes currently agreed not to use. A number of alpha-2 codes have also been deleted from ISO 3166-1. The codes are used in different environments and are also part of other standards, but in some cases, they are not perfectly implemented.

Test your knowledge of ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes with this quiz! From country code top-level domains to international vehicle registration codes, these two-letter country codes are widely used in various fields. See how many of the 249 officially assigned codes you can identify and learn about exceptions, reserved codes, and deletions. Sharpen your understanding of this important standard and its applications with this quiz.