# Why is South Africa abbreviated ZA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 14, 2017, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-south-africa-abbreviated-za/804460 "2017-12-14T01:42:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-south-africa-abbreviated-za/804460/21 "2017-12-14T15:30:28Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > It’s true that you’re not yourself when you’re Hungary. I hate that I got that. :smack: Good one, though. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-south-africa-abbreviated-za/804460/22 "2017-12-14T15:40:34Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > > [@Little Nemo](#): > > > > Are there any other countries that had their name abbreviated in a language that wasn’t either English or their country’s language? > > There is TCD: Chad [note: République du Tchad (French)] Seems obvious enough to me that the abbreviation derives from the French name (the first two and last letters), and French is an official language of Chad, so how does this count? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-south-africa-abbreviated-za/804460/23 "2017-12-14T15:43:19Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > It’s true that you’re not yourself when you’re Hungary. Now I can report that Hungarians DO tend to be peevish about Hungary/hungry puns. “You’re from Hungary? You must be hungry!” _punch in the face_ ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-south-africa-abbreviated-za/804460/24 "2017-12-14T18:31:02Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Seems obvious enough to me that the abbreviation derives from the French name (the first two and last letters), and French is an official language of Chad, so how does this count? I’m not sayin’ that this is the case here among our many fine posters, but there is often a strong undercurrent of “it doesn’t make sense in English, so it doesn’t make sense at all.” Because, let’s face it. It’s America’s world. We just let everyone else slum on the couch. :dubious: Are there any examples where “it doesn’t make sense in English”, but there isn’t a sensible explanation in either current or historical major or official languages for the country involved? A hypothetical “Mopervania” whose ISO country code is “ZY” for no reason at all? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-south-africa-abbreviated-za/804460/25 "2017-12-14T18:39:45Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Seems obvious enough to me that the abbreviation derives from the French name (the first two and last letters), and French is an official language of Chad, so how does this count? I didn’t realize French was an official language of this central-north African nation. Looking it up, Arabic is another official language. I thought the French TCH was a carryover from perhaps an old French conquest of the country. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-south-africa-abbreviated-za/804460/26 "2017-12-14T18:54:41Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > A few more come to mind: DZ = Algeria, from the Berber name Al-dzayer, the etymology of its modern name . Also ES = Spain (Espana); > > Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania were originally EAK, EAU and EAT, for “East Africa xxx” > > Jordan used to be HKJ, for Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. > > There are so many countries beginning with C, and very few with R, Republica de Chile uses RCH There is what others use, or what the country likes to use — and then there is the ISO 3166 list, the international standard defined by that body. These are the ISO 3166 abbreviations, 2- and 3-letters, for those countries: DZ, DZA: Algeria ES, ESP: Spain KE, KEN: Kenya UG, UGA: Uganda TZ, TZA: Tanzania JO, JOR: Jordan CL, CHL: Chile And of course: US, USA: United States ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-south-africa-abbreviated-za/804460/27 "2017-12-14T19:24:01Z")
I am a little ambivalent about the fact that the two-letter abbreviation and TLD for China is the cyanide ion. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-south-africa-abbreviated-za/804460/28 "2017-12-14T19:41:30Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Are there any examples where “it doesn’t make sense in English”, but there isn’t a sensible explanation in either current or historical major or official languages for the country involved? A hypothetical “Mopervania” whose ISO country code is “ZY” for no reason at all? Switzerland choose its abbreviation from a language that has never been official there (well, unless you want to count back when the capital of the Roman Empire was in Rome), but it was precisely because it wasn’t official while being known to the educated: it didn’t give primacy to a linguistic area over the rest. Cases where someone just threw some handfuls of Scrabble letters against the wall until they got something that wasn’t taken, no. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-south-africa-abbreviated-za/804460.md?page=1)