Current Abbreviations
The sources of the current abbreviations vary. Some are from the initials of two of the words in the name of a province or territory, while others are from the first and final letter or from the first and some other letter in the name. All of these names are based on the English form of the name, though they also correspond to their French equivalents in various ways (for example, NT could be read for the first and last letters of Nord-Ouest, instead of Northwest Territories). For Quebec and New Brunswick, the two provinces with large numbers of French-speakers, the initials in both languages are identical. French equivalents of each abbreviation once existed: see Traditional abbreviations. Manitoba's abbreviation is due to U.S. states already having abbreviations in all of the letters of the province's name besides "B".
These abbreviations are fully compatible with the equivalent two-letter codes used for states and territorial areas of the United States, because no abbreviations overlap. The policy of not overlapping adjacent-country abbreviations effectively precludes use of NV (Nevada) in Nunavut and T-N as « Terre-Neuve » (Newfoundland). This policy later became a formal agreement between Canada Post and the USPS. The USPS changed the abbreviation for the U.S. state of Nebraska from NB to NE in November 1969 to avoid a conflict with New Brunswick.
There are no Canadian provinces with names potentially overlapping any other adjacent-country territorial abbreviations, such as SPM and GL, so the issue is currently confined to U.S. addresses.
Abbreviation | English name | French name | Source (English) |
---|---|---|---|
AB | Alberta | Alberta | First letter of first two syllables |
BC | British Columbia | Colombie-Britannique | Initials |
MB | Manitoba | Manitoba | First letter of first and last syllables |
NB | New Brunswick | Nouveau-Brunswick | Initials |
NL | Newfoundland and Labrador | Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador | Initials |
NS | Nova Scotia | Nouvelle-Écosse | Initials |
NT | Northwest Territories | Territoires du Nord-Ouest | Initials |
NU | Nunavut | Nunavut | First two letters |
ON | Ontario | Ontario | First two letters |
PE | Prince Edward Island | Île-du-Prince-Édouard | Initials of first two words |
QC | Quebec | Québec | First and last consonant |
SK | Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan | First letter of first two syllables |
YT | Yukon | Yukon | Initials of "Yukon Territory" |
(Note: The Canadian policy of adopting non-overlapping abbreviations to adjacent countries was opposite to the policy adopted by Mexico, where the most convenient two-letter combinations were chosen, regardless of whether that combination was already in use in the United States or Canada, e.g., CO Coahuila, MI Michoacán, MO Morelos, NL Nuevo León, BC Baja California.)
Newfoundland and Labrador's abbreviation became effective 21 October 2002 to reflect the provincial name change from "Newfoundland" to "Newfoundland and Labrador" on 6 December 2001.
In 1991, the code for Quebec was changed from PQ to QC.
Nunavut's code became effective 13 December 2000; before this date, but after Nunavut's creation on 1 April 1999, the abbreviation "NT" was used for Nunavut as well as the Northwest Territories. Canadian postal codes begin with "X" for both NT and NU, the only two territorial or provincial jurisdictions to share the same initial postal code letter. However, the new code NU was chosen to stem possible confusion and to reflect the new territory's creation.
These abbreviations are not the source of letters in Canadian postal codes, which are assigned by Canada Post on a different basis than these abbreviations. While postal codes are also used for sorting, they allow extensive regional sorting. In addition, several provinces have postal codes that begin with different letters.
A sample of a proper address:
PAT ANYONE
27-1643 DUNDAS ST W
TORONTO ON M6K 1V2
For International mail:
PAT ANYONE
1643 DUNDAS ST W APT 27
TORONTO ON M6K 1V2
CANADA
Note that the street type, unit type, and city quadrant, if applicable, are abbreviated, without periods (though using periods, or even spelling out every word in its entirety, is unlikely to affect delivery in any way). Note also, for domestic mail, the lack of a comma between municipality and province/territory, the double space between the latter and the postal code, and the single space between segments of postal code, all on one line. For domestic mail, this must be the last line of the address, while for international mail, it is followed by a final line giving only the unabbreviated country name. Addresses should be done in all-upper-case without punctuation, and the unit number may follow street number, with a suitable unit identifier, e.g., "1643 DUNDAS ST W APT 27" using the above example.
From the USPS Web Site Addressing International Mail - Address your mail correctly to be sure that it gets there
The last line of the address block area must include only the complete country name (no abbreviations) written in uppercase letters. Foreign postal codes, if used, should be placed on the line above the destination country. The following shows the order of information for the destination address
LINE 1: NAME OF ADDRESSEE
LINE 2: STREET ADDRESS OR POST OFFICE BOX NUMBER
LINE 3: CITY OR TOWN NAME, OTHER PRINCIPAL SUBDIVISION (such as PROVINCE, STATE, or COUNTRY) AND POSTAL CODE (IF KNOWN) (Note: in some countries, the postal code may precede the city or town name)
LINE 4: COUNTRY NAME (UPPERCASE LETTERS IN ENGLISH)
From the USPS IMM 122.1 Destination address
To Canada, there must be two spaces between the province abbreviation and the postal code, as shown below between “ON” and “KIA 0B1”:
The following format should always be used for destination addresses to Canada:
MS HELEN SAUNDERS
1010 CLEAR STREET
OTTAWA ON K1A 0B1
CANADA
Read more about this topic: Canadian Postal Abbreviations For Provinces And Territories
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