ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

ISO 3166-2

Okay kiddo, so you know how we have different countries all around the world, right? Well, sometimes we need to be able to tell apart different regions or states within those countries. That’s where ISO 3166-2 comes in!

ISO 3166-2 is a special code that helps us identify different regions within a country. For example, imagine we’re talking about the United States. The ISO 3166-2 code for California is simply “US-CA”. That’s because “US” is the two-letter code for the United States, and “CA” is the two-letter code for California.

These codes can be really useful when we need to organize data or information about a particular country. Let’s say we’re collecting data on schools in different states of the United States. By using ISO 3166-2 codes, we can easily sort and compare the data for each state.

But keep in mind, this system isn't used only for the United States. There are codes for all sorts of countries, and they all follow the same format of using a two-letter code for the country itself (like “US” for United States) and a two-letter code for the region or state (like “CA” for California).

So, there we have it - ISO 3166-2 is a system of codes that helps us identify different regions or states within a country. It makes organizing and comparing information a lot easier, and it's a useful tool for all sorts of people who work with data.