Subject: Re: more maxipointing thoughts<br/>
Date: Jul 02, 2001 @ 09:12<br/>
Author: Peter Smaardijk (&quot;Peter Smaardijk&quot; &lt;smaardijk@...&gt;)<br/>
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<div id="ygrps-yiv-1589886640">I too think the best would be to use the ISO codes. But in order to <br/>
be both as brief and as unequivocally correct as possible, ISO-2 <br/>
would be preferable, I think. This is the list that is commonly used <br/>
in domain names on the internet, after all. I don&#39;t think the ISO-3 <br/>
list is longer and has more countries; it is just that each country <br/>
has an ISO-2 and ISO-3 abbreviation.<br/>
<br/>
With language abbreviations, it is different. As there are far more <br/>
languages than countries, only important (the criterium &quot;official&quot; <br/>
also seems to play a role here) languages have both an ISO-2 and ISO-<br/>
3 abbreviation. All other languages (that have such abbreviations) <br/>
only have 3-alpha ones.<br/>
<br/>
BTW: I wonder how South Africa got it&#39;s ZA. Dutch has been an <br/>
official language until some date in the beginning of the 20th <br/>
century (I forgot when exactly), but after that it was Afrikaans <br/>
instead of Dutch (besides English). And in Afrikaans it is not Zuid <br/>
Afrika, but Suid Afrika. It possibly became ZA because SA was already <br/>
issued (to Saudi Arabia).<br/>
<br/>
As for aircraft: the Netherlands is PH, and Belgium is OO. And the US <br/>
are N. As codes for us they are completely senseless.<br/>
<br/>
Peter S.<br/>
<br/>
<blockquote><span title="qreply"> --- In BoundaryPoint@y..., &quot;Brendan Whyte&quot; &lt;brwhyte@h...&gt; wrote:<br/>
&gt; Sorry to dissapoint, Michael, but it was a South Africa, Namibia <br/>
Botswana <br/>
&gt; point. Not Zambia.<br/>
&gt; I used ZA for Zuid Afrika as the two letter abbreviation.<br/>
&gt; I think 3letter abbreviations are easier to understand, than the 2-<br/>
letter <br/>
&gt; codes.<br/>
&gt; After all, New Zealand is commonly abvbreviated NZ, but on aircraft <br/>
and <br/>
&gt; boats, the NZ letters are KZ. I don&#39;t know what Kazakhstan and <br/>
Kirgyzia use!<br/>
&gt; There is no Bot/Nam/Zam tripoint..., probably, only a <br/>
Bot/Nam/Zim/Zam <br/>
&gt; quad... probably.<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; Iso 2 and 3 letter codes are:<br/>
&gt; S Africe   ZA   ZAF<br/>
&gt; Zambia     ZM   ZMB<br/>
&gt; Zimbabwe   ZW   ZWE<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; aircraft codes: ZS, 9J, Z respectively<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; even ZMB *could* be ZimBabWe.<br/>
&gt; I would have used Zu/ZAF or Zui  ;  Za/Zam  ; Zi/Zim.<br/>
&gt; But no one asked me.<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; For the record, Kyrgyzia and Kazak are Kg/Kgz and Kz/Kaz<br/>
&gt; New Zeland is NZ/NZL.<br/>
&gt; But the boat that won the Americas&#39; Cup for us was KZ-1, and an <br/>
aircraft I <br/>
&gt; know is ZK-SEX. Both official codes for New Zealand.<br/>
&gt; <br/>
&gt; BW<br/>
&gt; <br/>
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