# South Sudan and ISO3166-1 alpha-2 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 16, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-sudan-and-iso3166-1-alpha-2/567852 "2011-01-16T19:29:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-sudan-and-iso3166-1-alpha-2/567852/1 "2011-01-16T19:29:32Z")
Assuming South Sudan gets independence, how long will it be before it is assigned a two-letter IS03166-1 code? “SS” is still unused… do dopers think that might be the one assigned? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-sudan-and-iso3166-1-alpha-2/567852/2 "2011-01-16T19:51:11Z")
You could get in touch with the actual agency: [http://www.iso.org/iso/country\_codes.htm](http://www.iso.org/iso/country_codes.htm) e-mail: [countrycodes@iso.org](mailto:countrycodes@iso.org) We might have a Doper with inside information, but I do not recall seeing one in the past. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-sudan-and-iso3166-1-alpha-2/567852/3 "2011-01-16T19:52:49Z")
Is South Sudan actually going to be the name of the new country? ---
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-sudan-and-iso3166-1-alpha-2/567852/4 "2011-01-16T20:13:57Z")
After Montenegro declared independence on 3 June 2006, the ISO issued [an update](http://www.iso.org/iso/newsletter_v-12_serbia_montenegro.pdf) on 26 September of the same year. So a few months, probably. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-sudan-and-iso3166-1-alpha-2/567852/5 "2011-01-16T20:14:03Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > Is South Sudan actually going to be the name of the new country? Good point; [probably not](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_BEaoY7kRk). ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-sudan-and-iso3166-1-alpha-2/567852/6 "2011-01-17T06:05:59Z")
> [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Assuming South Sudan gets independence, how long will it be before it is assigned a two-letter IS03166-1 code? > > “SS” is still unused… do dopers think that might be the one assigned? I seem to have a knack for picking these things (I “pre-called” that Sint Maarten would get “SX” and Curacao either “CW” (first bet) or “KW” (second bet), and I was right last month (first bet for Curacao)) and as stated before on this board, I have an interest in these things. I’m guessing, for now, yes to “South(ern) Sudan” and yes to “SS”. When, it could take a while, as it was pointed out, Montenegro’s, Curacao’s and Sint Maarten were two or three months, but Kosovo has yet to get an ISO 3166 code (whereas other “partially recognized” states like Taiwan (TW) and Western Sahara (EH) have one). I think part of the reason for the expediency of the three above is that they split amicably, and Montenegro joined the UN right away (and to appear on the ISO 3166 list, you have to appear in UN data (but not necessarily as a UN member, as stated above). Kosovo has the big problem of having some powerful enemies, namely Russia, preventing any UN recognition (despite the UN’s heavy involvement in the region). (And, no, I don’t know how Taiwan got on there either with an equally powerful enemy (PR China), although it might have something to do with its prior representation of the Chinese seat and the ISO 3166 starting only 3 years after the change in Chinese representation). Tying all that in with the previous question, since this seems to be an amicable split (surprising, but I won’t be surprised if something happens), I think an ISO 3166 code, full independence, and UN membership (not necessarily in that order), will be in the bag by the start of (N. Hemisphere) Fall. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-sudan-and-iso3166-1-alpha-2/567852/7 "2012-01-23T20:48:57Z")
And it’s [SS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-2:SS). Nothing more to see here. Move along. Move along.