ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 codes are three-letter country codes defined in ISO 3166-1, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), to represent countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest.
South Africa, like all countries recognized by the ISO, has a unique three-letter code: ZAF.
Understanding the context of these codes is important, so let's briefly touch on related code element types:
- User-assigned code elements are codes at the disposal of users who need to add further names of countries, territories, or other geographical entities to their in-house application of ISO 3166-1, and the ISO 3166/MA will never use these codes in the updating process of the standard.
- Reserved code elements are codes which have become obsolete, or are required in order to enable a particular user application of the standard but do not qualify for inclusion in ISO 3166-1.
- Exceptionally reserved code elements are codes reserved at the request of national ISO member bodies, governments and international organizations, which are required in order to support a particular application, as specified by the requesting body and limited to such use; any further use of such code elements is subject to approval by the ISO 3166/MA.
- Transitional reserved code elements are codes reserved after their deletion from ISO 3166-1. These codes may be used only during a transitional period of at least five years while new code elements that may have replaced them are taken into use. These codes may be reassigned by the ISO 3166/MA after the expiration of the transitional period.
- Indeterminately reserved code elements are reserved for use in a particular way, usually due to their presence in other coding systems.
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NATO STANAG 1059 INT is built upon ISO alpha-3 codes, but also defines alpha-2 codes incompatible with ISO 3166-1.
Here's a table summarizing the different types of ISO 3166-1 code elements:
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| Code Element Type | Description | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| User-assigned | For internal use by organizations. | Adding custom geographical entities to internal systems. |
| Reserved | Obsolete codes or those needed for specific applications. | Supporting legacy systems or specific user needs. |
| Exceptionally Reserved | Reserved at the request of national bodies for specific applications. | Supporting specific applications as defined by the requesting body. |
| Transitional Reserved | Codes reserved temporarily after deletion from ISO 3166-1. | Allowing a transition period for adopting new codes. |
| Indeterminately Reserved | Reserved for specific use due to presence in other systems. | Maintaining compatibility with other coding systems. |
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