A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Germany was the first country to introduce a postal code system, in 1941. The United Kingdom followed in 1959 and the United States in 1963.

In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems. Examples of countries that do not have national systems include Ireland and Panama. Another example is Hong Kong although Hong Kong has become a special territory of China in 1997, Hong Kong maintains its own long-established postal system and does not use any postal code for domestic mails within Hong Kong.

No Chinese postal codes are assigned to Hong Kong. Although postal codes are usually assigned to geographical areas, special codes are sometimes assigned to individual addresses or to institutions that receive large volumes of mail, such as government agencies and large commercial companies. One example is the French Cedex system.

Similar to 0 things you like: