– How do I find my postal code?
Ever tried completing a form only to get stuck on the zip code or postal code field? You can easily find out where you are in the world by using your zip code or postal code. In this article about Nigeria, we’ll talk about the meanings, terms, and quirks of postal and zip codes that are important.
What is a postal code?
According to Wikipedia, a postal code is a combination of letters or numbers used in mail sorting and delivery systems. Postal codes are also known as PINs, ZIP codes, and postcodes.
The classification of delivery packages and establishing the location of an entity have both been added to that definition. In general, postal codes guarantee that your package or mail will reach its intended location.
There are national names for the postal code, which is why it has these variations. Zip codes are the term used in the US for postal codes. The postal code is known as the PIN code in India and the PLZ code in Germany (Postleitzahl).
Postal codes are crucial tools for pinpointing a person’s precise location. Your postal code or zip code is typically required in online forms for carrying purposes.
Postal codes are uniform across a nation, and a governing body is always in charge of keeping track of the postcodes assigned to various areas. Although their structure varies from nation to nation, they typically all share a common feature.
For example, the United States Postal Service is in charge of providing and keeping track of all the postal codes used in the country. In contrast, the Nigerian Postal Service is in charge of it there (NIPOST).
It’s critical to comprehend the significance and structure of a postcode.
The relevance of postal code
Apart from numbers or digits on the postal code, there are viable reasons why it is important.
There are valid reasons why the postal code is significant in addition to the numbers or digits on it.
Postal codes provide demographic data on people in every area. These geographic data are used by businesses and organizations to create audience structures and analytics. This helps and supports commercial marketing initiatives.
It may be possible to distinguish between rural and urban areas using the distinctive numbers generated for each region, state, and province. The majority of the time, the organizations that request postal codes do so for a variety of important and diverse use cases, such as fraud prevention, information coordination, or job applications through eCommerce technology stacks.
Most nations have their own distinctive postal codes that are local to that nation and relevant to that region.
History of Postal code
Postal codes have an impact on how postal services are delivered globally.
A postal code has traditionally been used in postal addresses as a string of digits, letters, or both to sort mail.
For sorting out mailing addresses in other nations or locations, postal codes may carry or include numerals, alphabets, and punctuation.
For instance, a Nigerian postal code could be 112005 while one in the United States of America could be 12345-1234, depending on the region.
At first, mail was sorted and delivered by hand based on local knowledge of where it was going. As the number of emails grew, however, the United States set up a regulated system in 1963 using ZIP (Zone Improvement Plan) codes.
It was a component of a larger postal service initiative called Nationwide Improved Mail Service (NIMS), designed to increase mail delivery efficiency. Before the US got it right, implementation was initially disorganized.
Germany, on the other hand, already had a functional mail system in place by 1941. Germany was still at war at the time, but postal service was still provided nationwide. Singapore later made theirs available in 1950. In 1958, Argentina made a similar move. Switzerland adopted postal service delivery in 1964, one year after the United States. In 1974, the system was adopted in the United Kingdom.
Postal code formats
Postal codes generally have formalities, but there are some variations that must be understood. Remember that various factors must be taken into account for various nations. As a result, not all nations will use the same characters or numbers.
For instance, there are three different types of symbols used in postal codes, which use the Arabic decimal system or the digits 0 through 9. The 26 letters of the Latin alphabet make up the second symbol, followed by hyphens and spaces, which make up the third symbol.
Only digits are used in the postal codes of the world’s major nations. Be aware that spaces and hyphens can occasionally be used in different contexts. Alphanumeric systems, which combine letters and numbers, are used in other nations.
X1X 1X1 is the format used in Canada to represent postal codes, which are made up of six alphanumeric characters, where X stands for a letter and 1 for a digit.
It may be 1002-678 in Brazil and 24015 in Germany. These nations also offer a number of free resources for determining any state’s postal code.
How are postal codes used in different regions?
Due to the high population density and the requirement for efficient management of mail and packages, postal codes are widely used in most nations.
Postal codes serve the same function, which is to categorize deliveries of items, despite the fact that we’ve established that they go by different names in different countries. Similar to how the British and English languages differ, each country has different requirements.
The names of postal codes in some countries around the world, as well as where they came from, who issued them, and when they were adopted, are listed below.
Note: Did you know that different countries have different names for postal codes? Some are well-known, while others are not.
| United States of America | ZIP CODE/Zonal Improvement Plan | The basic formats consist of 5 digits and were introduced in 1963 |
|---|---|---|
| Italy | CAP/Codice di avviamento postale | Has 5 digits and was adopted in 1967 |
| India | PIN code/ Postal Index Number | Has 6 digits and was adopted in 1995 |
| Germany | PLZ/Postleitzahl | Has 5 digits and was the first country to adopt the postal code system in 1941 |
| Brazil | CEP/Codigo de Enderecamento | It was introduced in 1972 consisting of 5 digits and later increased to 8 digits in 1992 |
| Ireland | Eircode | The postal code was introduced in 2015 |
| PSĆ/ |
Regardless of their names, all of the postal code variations listed in the above table represent the same thing and have the same function. Postal codes, however, are format-specific as well, so it’s crucial to understand them all.
Postal code vs. Zip codes, what’s the difference?
While postal codes have different names in different parts of the world and on different continents, they all carry out the same functions and solve the same shipping and delivery issues.
Therefore, postal codes and zip codes essentially have the same meanings and serve the same purposes. Both of them are numerical codes that designate a specific geographic area.
Kindly Note: Depending on the country or region, postal codes in nations where English is the dominant language may also be referred to as ZIP codes, PIN codes, postcodes, etc.
Most people are unaware of how to calculate or process their postal code number. Additionally, there have been numerous instances of incorrectly entering zip and postal codes.
How to know your postal/ZIP code
There are some odd postal codes in various places around the world. Each local government, town, province, and occasionally even the area has its appropriate postal or zip code for that state.
Therefore, be sure to use the appropriate postal code for the precise location whenever your postal or zip code is requested on any online or offline form.
There are various ways to find your postal code in other countries, though. For example, you can find the code for your region by first finding out who issues postal service codes and then going to their website.
- Deutsch Post Tower, Germany
- A Post Office, Ireland
- Correios Postal service, Brazil
- Poste Italiane postal service, Italy
- U.S Postal Service, United States of America
- Canada post corporation, Canada
- India Post, India
- NIPOST Nigeria
- State Post Bureau, China
- La Poste, France
- Ceska Posta, Czech
Now that we know who the issuing bodies are, here are a few steps to get you started on the right track to finding a specific postal address for any location of your choice.
- Visit the homepage of the postal service provider in your country
- Click on your state, province, the town of residence
- If your address doesn’t pop up, try to input it manually and wait a few minutes
- There are also free tools to check if you surf the internet, e.g., World postal code service, etc