About ISO Code CL
ISO Code CL may on first glance look like a secret code straight out of a spy movie. But you actually use this code -- and hundreds of others like it -- on a regular basis. In fact, if you've ever sent a letter overseas, sent an email to a recipient in a different country or used a passport or foreign currency when traveling abroad, then you've already use an ISO code without even realizing it.
Other People Are Reading
-
What Is ISO?
-
In order to understand what "CL" means, you first need to understand what "ISO" is. ISO is short for International Organization of Standardization. This organization creates global standards for everything, from how many dead pixels are normal on a brand new LCD monitor to voltage requirements for electrically engineered wires and cables. Even the ISO's name is standardized, to avoid the confusion caused by abbreviation differences between different languages. The guidelines set forth by the ISO are just that -- guidelines -- countries, businesses and individuals are under no legal obligation to follow them.
ISO 3166
-
"CL" is one of hundreds of country codes indexed by the ISO as part of ISO 3166. The ISO first listed country codes in 1974 in order to create a universal way to label and identify different countries. CL is the country code for the South American nation of Chile. Do not confuse country codes with generic abbreviations for different nations. For example, the traditional abbreviation for the United Kingdom is UK; however, the ISO country code for this nation is actually GB, for Great Britain, since "United" and "Kingdom" are relatively generic terms that could cause confusion and overlap in the ISO system.
-
Chile's Country Code
-
Chile's country code of "CL" was among the list of initial country codes to be released by the ISO's Maintenance Agency in 1974. Since its original unveiling in the 70s, the ISO has assigned country codes to dozens of new nations, as well as updated and changed country codes for existing nations. However, Chile's code -- CL -- has not been altered in any way since its inception. The ISO has seven different categories for how it assigns its country codes. Chile's code falls into the officially assigned category, meaning it was officially assigned to Chile by the ISO's Maintenance Agency, and can be used without restrictions.
Using "CL"
-
Even if you've never traveled to Chile, you still may have come across its ISO country code, particularly online. If you've ever visited a website that ended in ".cl," you've seen it used to reference a website tied to Chile. Additionally, if you've ever sent -- or received -- a letter to Chile, you've used the ISO country code CL to address it.
-
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
