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1. The present publication lists standard codes and abbreviations of the English language names of countries or areas, together with standard codes of selected groupings of countries or areas, for use in processing and tabulating statistical data. It is an interim revision of the United Nations Standard Country or Area Code for Statistical Use, issued in 1975, in response to urgent needs for an updating of that publication, pending finalization of outstanding matters involved in the development of a more comprehensive register of countries or areas. In addition to a listing of countries or areas in alphabetical order, as given in the 1975 issue, the present publication also includes selected groupings of countries or areas and a numerical-code-order listing of countries or areas and groupings.

Countries or areas and groupings

2. The countries or areas shown in this publication are those for which statistical data are or may be compiled by the United Nations Statistical Office as of 1 January 1982. The groupings of countries or areas shown are a selection of groupings of economic and social interest, used by the United Nations Statistical Office as of 1 January 1982.

3. In general, parts of countries or areas are not shown in the present publication. However, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic are shown, as well as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, of which they are parts, since they are all States Members of the United Nations.

4. The groupings shown in the publication fall into two categories, namely geographical groupings and other groupings. The geographical groupings are intended to cover all of the countries or areas shown in this publication, and, at a broad level, are related to the continents of the world. Within the broad groupings, there is a more detailed sub-continental level of groupings of countries or areas often considered together because of homogeneity in economic or social factors. At each level, the geographical groupings are mutually exclusive.

5. The other groupings shown in this publication are a selection of groupings of mainly economic interest, used by the United Nations Statistical Office as of 1 January 1982. Some of the groupings are made up of countries or areas from different geographical groupings. The groupings do not cover all the countries or areas shown in this publication, and some countries or areas are included in more than one of them.

6. The set of groupings of countries or areas included in this publication is not intended to be comprehensive It is only a selection of the groupings which are, or may be, used in compilation of statistics as of 1 January 1982 by the United Nations Statistical Office.

7. Groupings by stage of economic development and groupings by type of economic system are not included They are under review and may be included in a later revision of this publication.

Name form

8. The names of countries or areas and groupings shown in this publication are the English language names in the form generally used in publications of the United Nations Statistical Office. This is not usually the full name as used in formal documents such as treaties, but is the name used for general purposes at the United Nations. Many are based on the terminology bulletin "Names of countries and adjectives of nationality" pre- pared by the Department of Conference Services of the United Nations.

9. In some cases, in order to clarify which particular country or area is referred to, additional information is shown in square brackets after the name of the country or area, for example, Christmas Island [Australia). In cases where information is shown within round brackets in the name of a country or area, it is an integral part of the name, for example, Cocos (Keeling) Islands.