Postal code
Postal code (also called a postcode or ZIP Code in the United States) is a sequence of numbers or letters used by postal services to sort mail for delivery. It forms part of a postal address and identifies the area to which mail should be sent. Most postal codes cover multiple addresses, but some are assigned to individual buildings or large recipients.
Postal codes differ in length and format between countries. Each national postal service determines how its codes are assigned.
Format and use
[edit | edit source]Postal codes are usually written alongside the name of a town or city in an address. Where multiple properties share a code, the street address or post office box number identifies the intended recipient. Some codes cover entire settlements, while others identify only part of a street.
Postal-code areas do not always follow municipal boundaries. Postal authorities may also change codes when delivery routes are reorganized. Codes beginning with zero must retain that digit, since removing it can produce an incorrect address.
National systems
[edit | edit source]Romania uses six-digit postal codes. The first two digits identify a county or a sector of Bucharest, and the remaining digits narrow down the delivery location. In Ilfov County, the commune of Balotești uses the postal code 077015.[1]
Germany introduced its five-digit postal code system on 1 July 1993, replacing the four-digit systems previously used in East and West Germany. A single code may serve neighbouring settlements. Stommeln and Stommelerbusch, both districts of Pulheim in North Rhine-Westphalia, share the postal code 50259.[2][3]
In the Netherlands, a postcode consists of four digits followed by two letters. The digits identify a postal area, and the letters specify a smaller group of addresses. The United Kingdom uses an alphanumeric system in which a postcode is divided into an outward code and an inward code. The outward code identifies a postal district, and the inward code identifies a smaller delivery area.
The United States introduced the five-digit ZIP Code on 1 July 1963. ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan. In 1983, the United States Postal Service introduced ZIP+4, which adds four digits after a hyphen to identify a more specific delivery segment.
Other uses
[edit | edit source]Businesses use postal codes to check addresses and organize deliveries. Statistical agencies may also publish information by postal-code area, although these areas do not necessarily correspond to administrative divisions.