Country codes in the SWD 

With the country code (LC) subject headings are related spatially in the SWD by countries respectively by subject headings, which may be attributed to several countries, by continents and oceans systematically. Used is the ISO country code (DIN EN ISO 3166-1, Alpha-2-Code) in hierarchistical form (user specific). For Germany, Austria and Switzerland the country code continues to be subdivided (according to DIN ISO 3166-2) by governmental units (states, canton).

Country codes are given to

• geographic and ethnographic subject headings
• language definitions
• individual definitions like buildings etc. set under the geographic term
• name subject headings
• work titles set under a person from literature and plastic art
• body subject headings
• anonymous work titles with a definite geographic reference
• object subject headings with systematic authority 16.5 (History of individual countries and people)
• further object subject headings, in which a geographic reference is being expressed

The precise usage of the country codes for the authority files is laid down in "Der Ländercode (LC) für SWD und PND", which is enclosed in the 3. issue of "Praxisregeln". The most important principal is that for the authority files in the SWD (and PND) only the today valid country codes according to DIN EN ISO 3166-1 or DIN ISO 3166-2 may be applied. The codes for formerly common country names according to DIN ISO 3166-3 are not applicable in the SWD (and PND). For the needs of subject heading a few additional user specific country codes have been created (see 2. Additional user specific codes).

Country codes according to DIN ISO 3166: in alphabetical order (available only in German)
Country codes according to DIN ISO 3166: in systematic order (available only in German)