Talk:List of FIPS region codes (V–Z)

Zambia FIPS codes problem

In researching FIPS 10-4 codes for Zambia, I encountered a discrepancy between the codes listed by FIPS and the adm1 FIPS codes reported at NGA GNS Search and included in the GNS download files, specifically za.zip. This Wikipedia page shows the codes that NGA reports and not those from FIPS (which ought to be the same, of course). This discrepancy needs to be resolved; and probably this page should show the FIPS-reported codes until then.

At NGA, I downloaded the April 1995 "official listing" PDF of FIPS 10-4 codes, and the 15 FIPS 10-4 Change Notices. The Change Notices do not report any changes to the FIPS codes for Zambia. The codes listed originally are as follows:

FIPS code	Zambia province
ZA01	Western
ZA02	Central
ZA03	Eastern
ZA04	Luapula
ZA05	Northern
ZA06	North-Western
ZA07	Southern
ZA08	Copperbelt
ZA09	Lusaka

These code numbers match those as used in ISO 3166-2 for Zambia (ISO uses ZM as the two-letter abbreviation for Zambia and FIPS uses ZA), and the header-information table of the ISO 3166-2 database sold by ISO references the ISO sources as "List source: FIPS 10-4; IGN 1990. Code source: FIPS 10-4." The Provinces of Zambia page at Statoids follows the ISO and FIPS official listing. If ISO thinks the FIPS codes are as listed above and FIPS says the codes have never changed, I think that would be the best authority.

I've written the GEOnet Names Server info about this discrepancy. At present, however, I would say that the FIPS codes for Zambia reported on this page are possibly wrong and require confirmation. I suggest using the codes shown in the FIPS 10-4 listing until things are clarified. Rsperberg (talk) 23:17, 11 August 2008 (UTC)