Country – Explore countries far and wide
Even when searched for on the Web it does not have an entry by itself. It is always associated with something else such as country living, country music, etc. The foremost definition of country is political, as in a state or nation that is distinct from any other state or nation, an independent entity with its own set of unique characteristics. It also means undeveloped land, so go figure. Some of this distinctness is expressed in several ways that is internationally recognized and used by all countries, no matter what political system, economic situation or geographical affiliation. Country codes are used in more ways than one.
A country code is a short alphabetic or numeric designation called a geographical code (geocode) based on several systems depending on the use. The most recognizable is the three-digit numeric ISO 3166-1 numeric code that represents countries or dependent territories according to a standard established by the United Nations’ International Organization for Standardization or ISO, although it really should be IOS but that would only apply to the English name. The French could call it the ION because there it is the “Organisation internationale de normalisation," so to make everybody happy they made it ISO, which does not stand for any country’s name for it. Moving on.
Other codes are also used such as the ISO 4217 currency codes and the International Olympic Committee or IOC (yes, OIC) code used for sporting events. But one fun way of defining a country instantly is with the use of country flags. There is no world organization standard for flags because there’s no accounting for taste, and ultimately it is the culture and history that is reflected in the flag, and there’s no standard for that. But just for kicks, try to look at the world’s country maps and choose the one you would have chosen to represent you as a person, and then read up on the history of that country. You might learn a few things about yourself. All good, hopefully.
Country maps are a little trickier because they change shape and size, sometimes radically depending on natural, and unnatural forces. However, more or less details of a country stay in one place and each country map is just as distinct as a flag. Another use for a country map: identifying the ideal destination wedding spot. Most people prefer the church to be near the reception, and it might be a good idea if it’s near the airport as well so the honeymoon can be hassle-free as well. But don’t forget your passport or you may be looking at home from a map.