This version of CL_Area supersedes an earlier version which presented solely the codes from the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 list. This version extends the code list to include codes from the “Standard country or area codes for statistical use” Series M, No. 49 (M49). The difference between these code lists are as follows:
- The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 are maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for each country or area. Their purpose is to represent the “name” identity of the country or territory.
- The numerical codes are maintained by the United Nations Statistics Division as part of the Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49), the codes are also presented as part of the ISO 3166-1 standard. Their purpose is to represent the “statistical” identity.
