Definition
ISO 3166‑2:IL is the entry for the State of Israel in the ISO 3166‑2 standard, which defines codes for the principal administrative subdivisions of countries that are listed in ISO 3166‑1.
Overview
The ISO 3166‑2:IL entry assigns a unique code to each of Israel’s primary first‑level administrative units, namely its six districts. The standard is maintained by the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency (ISO 3166/MA) and is used internationally for data exchange, statistics, shipping, and geopolitical information systems.
Etymology / Origin
- ISO 3166‑1 α‑2 code “IL” – derived from the English name “Israel.”
- ISO 3166‑2 – introduced in 1998 as an extension of ISO 3166‑1 to code subdivisions. The “:IL” suffix denotes the specific entry for Israel within that part of the standard.
Characteristics
- Structure of the codes – Each subdivision code consists of the country’s ISO 3166‑1 alpha‑2 code “IL”, a hyphen, and a two‑letter alphabetic code unique to the district.
- Current list of codes (as of the latest ISO 3166‑2 update)
| Code | District (English) | Hebrew name |
|---|---|---|
| IL‑D | Southern District | המחוז הדרומי |
| IL‑HA | Haifa District | מחוז חיפה |
| IL‑JM | Jerusalem District | מחוז ירושלים |
| IL‑M | Central District | מחוז המרכז |
| IL‑TA | Tel Aviv District | מחוז תל אביב |
| IL‑Z | Northern District | מחוז הצפון |
- Updates – The ISO 3166/MA periodically publishes amendments (additions, deletions, or code changes) via newsletters and the online ISO Online Browsing Platform. Israel’s entry has remained stable since its initial publication, with no recent modifications reported.
- Usage – The codes are employed in international shipping labels, geographic information systems (GIS), statistical reporting (e.g., United Nations, World Bank), and in software that requires standardized location identifiers.
Related Topics
- ISO 3166 – the overarching standard for country codes (ISO 3166‑1) and subdivision codes (ISO 3166‑2).
- ISO 3166‑1 – provides the two‑letter code “IL” for Israel.
- Administrative divisions of Israel – the political and geographical organization of the country into districts and sub‑districts.
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO) – the global body responsible for developing and maintaining the ISO 3166 series.
- Geocoding and address standards – other systems (e.g., FIPS, UN/LOCODE) that incorporate or reference ISO 3166 codes.